The Setting Sun
by dmnq8
Summary: Having exhausted nearly all avenues of salvation, Itachi sells Sasuke to a man of frightening power in the hopes of keeping him safe. But who will keep Sasuke safe from his new owner? —AU, OOC. M/M, M/F, Naruto/many, Naru/Sasu. Neji/ita. Noncon, dubcon, master/slave.
1. Chapter 1

**The Setting Sun**

Chapter 1: A Companion

His eyes were squinted behind the cover of his _ra'di_ but he could still make out the walls of Suna. Far. A league or more. The sandstorm at his back would overtake him long before he reached the city…yet there was no place in which he could weather the storm other than the city. He weighed his options. Truthfully, the storm would not affect him overmuch if he adjusted his _ra'di_ to cover all parts of his face and head. His cloak kept him miserably hot in the desert's temps, but also did the job of protecting his body from the sun. It would suffice to protect him from the elements, but he'd come a long way. His water had run out nearly two days ago. Trained he might be to survive these conditions, but his _alma_ was not.

He cast a glance at him now. "Fare you well enough to go on?"

A nod.

"I wonder. That chest you carry is not light. We've been without water for too long." He looked around carefully. The sand dunes were devoid of anyone but them. "If I thought the storm would last only part of an hour I would have us wait it out. That storm will last days, I fear. Come." He crouched, that the boy could sit his back.

The boy's eyes widened behind his own _ra'di_.

"There is no help for it. You worry needlessly. There is no one here to observe us."

To employ the Arts at all, though, before he'd Ascended was strictly forbidden unless the matter was life or death. He was certain that their current plight met these criteria…it just wasn't _his_ life that was in danger.

-oOo-

Inside the city, the fabled walls of Suna —hard-packed sand, twelve cubits thick—did much to keep out the storm. Suna's residents were all indoors and the markets closed. He and his manservant made it inside just as the massive gates were shut. "Not before time," a gate guard greeted them. "Another instant and you would have been locked out. Mark your names in yon ledger." He gestured to the guardhouse.

He was not required to make his mark anywhere before his Ascension. To illustrate, he withdrew his badge and held it up.

Behind his _ra'di_ the guard's face went slack. The _ra'di_ itself was hastily pulled down, exposing his face. He placed his hands on his knees and lowered himself in half. "My apologies, High One! My humblest apologies. My eyes and tongue are yours to take if I have given offense. My service, my life, is yours."

He put the badge away inside his cloak. "Unnecessary. No offense was given. I require accommodation. The essential comforts for the duration of my stay."

"Yes, High One. But of course. Shall I notify His Eminence and Glory of your arrival?"

"As I have yet to take vows or Ascend, no. The accommodations."

The guard bowed lower, if that was possible. "At once. I will see to it personally."

They were left. The guard disappeared at a dead run, re-wrapping his _ra'di_. The other guards at the gate were stiffer than they'd been before he'd shown his pass, standing at strict attention, gazes respectfully averted.

The original guard returned with a curtained _pelangki_ and four burly carriers. This was set down in front of him, the curtains untied and held aside. The guard was bent double again, awaiting his entrance.

It was no less than his due, but his legs were more than able to carry him; his manservant's weren't. To refuse in the name of the boy using the _pelangki_ would shame the boy, who would refuse to the death. Even if pressed.

He bent and entered the cushioned interior. "Make haste," he told the bearers. "We are weary." The curtains were tied down in deference to the storm and the _pelangki_ lifted.

Ordinarily the swaying of a _pelangki_ on the move lulled him, but tonight he was on edge. Until they reached shelter and his manservant was seen to he would remain vigilant.

The speed of his bearers impressed him. Running in a sandstorm wasn't easy. Especially not carrying someone his size. He was set down not thirty minutes later. He exited with alacrity and moved toward an abode of three stories. The windows were lit, but this was all he cared to notice. Once indoors he ignored everything save a low table set with gold and silver plate. Unless he partook of the refreshments first, his servant would stand where he was until he dropped dead.

He reached for the grapes, popped a handful into his mouth, and gave a quick nod of permission. Only just was he able to keep from pouring water for the boy himself.

The boy had already set his chest down. Now he hastened to the table and filled a goblet. Only when the boy poured a second goblet full did he feel himself breathe free of his tension. He looked around.

Architecture that he'd learned was classic Suna: arched doorways, intricate tile work. Wide, airy rooms surrounding a courtyard that was opened to the sky. The room he stood in was just off the entrance to the building. The walls were lined with low couches the color of apricots. The house itself was made of the peculiar pink sandstone Suna was known for.

To keep the boy eating, he downed a goblet of mint water himself. "Well," he said when the boy seemed restored. "Let us see the rest of the place. I don't imagine we'll be here long, once my business is concluded, but the storm may keep us here. As well we inspect the place. And I'd like a bath."

The boy hefted the chest and followed his master from the room.

* * *

Four days of missed trade had the slave markets in full flourish not an hour after the storm passed. Itachi hurried through them on his way to the western wall. Something set the short hairs of his neck on end as he was pushing through the crowds. He stopped at a platform crowded with young girls and pretended to inspect one. The trader in charge materialized at his side.

"Ah, she is a fine piece-" the trader's eyes made an accurate assessment of Itachi's attire. "-my lord. Not yet five years, and quite skilled with her tongue. Unbreached, but if you'd like your flesh a bit more seasoned…?" He indicated some of the older girls in the back.

Itachi let his eyes rove over them as well, listening to the list of their praises with one ear.

There. Right there, at another platform across the midway. Now that he was focused on him, Itachi could sense every detail of him without turning to look.

A man. And he used the term with caution. No man he'd ever met approached the level of power he was sensing. No man save one. Even that exception fell short, but then that one wasn't strictly a man either.

He turned his head as discreetly as possible. No one else on the crowded midway took note of the man. That was expected. Few trained in the Arts. Fewer still to the level required to sense even a tenth of such strength. The trader's litany of merits switched to pleas as Itachi pointed himself toward the man across the midway.

Tall, the man was. Robed and veiled. A high priest? Perhaps. Priests were robed, but never trained in the Arts. They were agents of peace and worship, not war. And this man had his power unmasked. Completely uncaring of who sensed him or if his levels invited a threat. Such arrogance was never found in priests.

Unable to stop himself, Itachi began threading his way through the crowd. When he was halfway across, surrounded by swarming people, he unmasked his own power.

The way that tall, robed body turned told him volumes. Fluidly. The hands previously tucked into the wide sleeves were withdrawn to hang loose. Itachi caught sight of a ring on one hand, but that was all. As the man was looking directly at him, he continued across the midway until only four or five paces stood between them.

Between veil and hood was a narrow shadow of space. Itachi could not make out the eyes but knew they were on his face. He took in the area around the man without taking his eyes off the man himself. The expected frenzy of traders and buyers, meek slaves, and rowdy travelers, all drowning in the oppressive Suna sun. This man was an island unto himself. Calm. Still. Aware. A youth stood behind the man, carrying a chest on his back. He, too, stared at Itachi. The boy had turned when the man had turned, so they were together. The platform the man had been inspecting was crowded with naked men and women. Itachi brought himself to his full height and bowed from the waist. "You seek a slave, High One?"

"Yes."

The accent in the voice was not local, Itachi noted. Nor was the voice old. "Are you particular to the sex?"

"I am not."

"In that case, I have a slave unmatched by anything on the market that may be of interest to you."

"You are not dressed as a trader. Nor do you bear the chain of ownership. Be gone with your trickery."

Itachi stepped closer when the man turned away. "Truly I am no trader, nor do I bear chains…but I am in possession of the individual nonetheless. I will bring him to a meeting point of your choosing. You need only say the word. What risk could there possibly be to one such as yourself?"

A pause, as the offer was considered. "Very well. Bring your slave to the northern estates. Moonrise. Last house on the left of the pathway. And _Dakhna_ …"

Itachi paused mid-bow at the insult.

"Should you prove false, your life is forfeit."

He completed the bow. "Moonrise."

* * *

Sasuke hurried to the door the moment he saw the latch turn. He snatched it open before Itachi could enter. "What news?" he said. "I was worried. I felt your chakra."

Pushing back his hood, Itachi went to the center of their one room and looked around. "Success." He gave a nod, located his satchel, and began packing. "Success has smiled upon us this day."

"Then you've secured our passage on a caravan to the east?"

"No."

"I do not understand." He noted that Itachi was only packing his own things. "Was that not the reason we made all possible haste to Suna? A sandstorm and Akatsuki at our heels? You said the east was our last resort, our last refuge. That if we could lose ourselves there we stood a chance of petitioning the high-level practitioners to stand with us. And a caravan was our best chance at traveling east undetected. If not this, then what success do you speak of?"

"The gods have given us something far better than a caravan, which, we must admit, could be overrun by our pursuers at any time. No, Sasuke. The means to keep you safe, truly safe, has all but fallen into our laps."

"But what is it?"

"I have sold you."

"Do not jest."

"I speak truth. I sold you for a slave." Itachi's brisk packing never faltered.

Sasuke's eyes followed him around the room. "What? You did _what?"_

"Sold you. It was the only way to keep you s-"

"I am Uchiha!"

Sasuke was pressed to the wall, a hand like steel clamped over his mouth, before the echo of his shout faded. "And that is the last time our name will be uttered south of The Mists," Itachi hissed. "Are you mad, to go yelling our name where any ear could hear? Have we not taken pains to conceal ourselves? _Suffered_ in the name of survival?" He pushed off from Sasuke's face. Turned, surveyed the room.

Sasuke rubbed his jaw. "But slavery? I cannot. Itachi, I cannot."

"You can and will. I have not watched my people hunted, watched them slaughtered one by one, _left_ my home, to have that madman win. We are the last. I am your brother. And I will see you safe no matter the cost."

Sasuke heard this, but studied his brother's face. It was pained. "Am I the only one sold, then?"

"Yes."

"And what of your safety?"

"I will be far less visible on my own. Besides which, someone must set a misleading trail for our pursuers."

"Itachi. Our alliance is the very thing that has kept us safe this past year. You and I. Together. Guarding each other."

"And yet they hunt us still." He turned and pinned Sasuke with a look that was close to hopeless. "They shorten the distance between us and them by the day. By the hour, it seems. We cannot take them on and prevail. Not without aid. Brother…'tis an extreme solution, slavery, but it is our only chance. We must part. Divert them. Throw them off our scent."

"All right." Sasuke nodded. Swallowed. "All right. I have never doubted your judgment, I'll not doubt you now. But what is to prevent me being pursued despite traveling with slavers?"

"Slavers? I said nothing of slavers. I did not sell you to traders, but to one man." Itachi moved closer, eyes and voice betraying wonder. "Sasuke. Never have I felt the likes of this man. His strength shriveled the skin on my balls. The enormity of it. The amount of power… Believe me. I did not come to the decision to sell my only brother, the last of our clan outside myself, lightly. But neither did I hesitate. If there is a shred of safety to be had, any at all, it is at his side."

"But then come with me! Surely this man can protect two slaves as well as one?"

"No." Itachi drew back, resumed packing. "I must lay out a false trail, as I said."

It hit Sasuke suddenly that he would shortly be parted from his brother, whom he'd never been apart from. A cramp of panic, of pain, tightened his jaw. "How long am I to be… How long?"

"Until."

"When?"

" _Until_."

Sasuke closed his eyes. Breathed. He caught his brother's arm as he passed and pulled him into an embrace. "I will get free," he hissed into Itachi's ear. "I will find you. We _will_ prevail."

Itachi held him in turn. Cupped a hand to Sasuke's head. Inhaled the smell of his hair. Kissed him. "This is hard enough. Do not undo our sacrifice with selfishness." Then, because he knew his brother, he said, "If a time comes when I deem it safe…I will find you and free you. Until then, wait." He pulled back.

They stared at each other, acknowledging the lie in their hearts, if not with words.

Itachi touched one forelock of Sasuke's hair. Fingered it. Squeezed his shoulder and ran his eyes down Sasuke's body. "Well, then." He cleared his throat. "I suppose we should make you presentable." He turned away.

It was the first time Sasuke saw him cry.

-oOo-

Itachi requested a bath be sent to their room. While he perfumed the water with oils, Sasuke asked questions. "What is this man like?"

"I haven't the first notion. Cannot even tell you what he looks like. He is tall, however. Quite. Close to five cubits. Broad of shoulder. Robed as a priest. A servant who shadows him."

"Will I be expected to lay with him?"

"I wouldn't exclude the concept entirely. He was inspecting flesh when I came upon him. One typically buys a slave to service them in a number of ways." He straightened when the water was ready. "While we're on the subject, you will need to remove all body hair."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose. "What else can I expect?"

"I imagine he'll want to examine you thoroughly. I will of course demand the heavens themselves in payment for you. The better to impress upon him a sense of your value. He will guard such an expense with his life." He set about selecting Sasuke's best _shruda_. "Get in."

Sasuke slipped into the tub. "He may refuse to pay."

"He will pay."

"We shall see. What else?" He closed his eyes as a pitcher of water was emptied over his head.

"The matter of the chain."

Sasuke surged from the tub, only to be pressed back down. Water sloshed over the rim. "I will _not_ be chained."

"Indeed you will." Itachi was grim. "All slaves are chained and you will be no different."

"I will not. You ask too much of me. _I will not_."

Itachi scrubbed Sasuke's hair with the soap and chose his words carefully. "It is onerous, I'll not deny that. The chain binds slave and master intimately with their chakra. Never to be undone unless the owner himself undoes it. Your will can and _will_ be subverted. You will be commanded. Possessed. Controlled. For one such as you it is the greatest crime. But you are strong. Stronger than any man or woman who has worn the chain, I'll warrant. You will wear it. Accept it. And maintain yourself. You will not forget who you are."

"Never."

"That is well, then. That gives me peace."

Once Sasuke was dried and oiled Itachi took up the _shruda_ he'd selected and draped it about Sasuke's body. The garment was simple. An open robe of midnight blue, fashioned of raw, heavy silk, and belted with a rope of silver as thick as his wrist. Sandals completed the look. Itachi stood back to survey his handiwork. He nodded. "Acceptable. Now for that hair."

Sasuke's hair was thick and exceedingly coarse. Itachi took up a piece of deer fat that he'd requested with the bath. He set to work rubbing Sasuke's hair and scalp with it. He didn't stop until the dark strands gleamed and his arm was tired. Next he took up a brush and tried to flatten the hair into some semblance of submission.

"That is the best I can do," he said when he gave up. "It will have to suffice."

There was a strained silence.

At last Itachi said, "Cover yourself. Presentation is everything. He'll not see what he is purchasing until I've extracted a few conditions from him."

Sasuke looked through his things and selected the plainest cloak he owned, one of pure white velvet. He arranged it so that the oversized hood hid his face, and tucked his hands into the sleeves.

"Perfection." Itachi mastered himself with an effort, but gave in to another quick embrace. When he released Sasuke, it was to say, "Let us go. Moonrise is nigh."

* * *

They walked to the northern edge of Suna. A _pelangki_ would have drawn attention.

While the rest of the city was dry, dusty desert, the north was lush with grass and date trees. Fountains tinkled from the lone spring that fed this oasis. The houses were of pale pink sand, large and stately. Nearly every one had gazelle or sheep or goats roaming about a section of the low-walled gardens. All of the residents glimmered in their satin robes and sequins; night was when the rich came out to enjoy the coolness of the desert breezes. And such a night it was! Stars like jewels against the vast blackness of the overhead sky. The very air was different, light and scented with the wealth of Suna's nobility. Every blade of grass, every stone, every marble sculpture designed to bring beauty and comfort to the eye. Another world, was Suna's northern prefecture, one far different from the crowded, noisy, smelly markets of the city proper.

-oOo-

The path they walked was white stone, finely crushed. The last house on the left of this opulence dwarfed every home they'd seen. Was in fact second only to the palace of His Eminence and Glory, itself barely visible farther north as a fantastic construct of red sandstone. The house they approached was rose-colored, and therefore belonging to someone poorer than His Eminence and Glory, yet richer than the pale pink houses they'd already passed. Sections of this house were higher than others. Balconies dotted here and there, as well as date trees. No gazelle or sheep here, but several white peacocks strutted along the verdant grass.

Itachi stopped at the ungated entrance. "I'll not get a chance to say a proper farewell once negotiations are concluded," he said. "So I will do so now."

Sasuke blinked several times to keep his eyes clear as his brother said words of love he seldom expressed. This past year had taken Itachi's smiles. His verve. He was quiet now. Watchful. Mistrustful.

"Don't leave me."

Itachi was quiet a moment. "I must."

"They may catch you. You may die."

He put a hand to Sasuke's shoulder. "I will live. This I promise. Now I beg of you a promise."

"Anything."

"Do not forget me."

" _Never_. I would sooner-"

"Do not forget yourself."

Sasuke held his protests.

"Above all, Sasuke, no matter the provocation, nor what this man does to you, do not show your eyes. No matter the circumstance. Not for any reason."

"Not even to save my life?"

Itachi thought carefully. "Not even then. I have performed the jutsu that seals your eyes upon death, but should an assailant see those eyes before you best him…no. You would suffer worse than death. What this world would do to you in the name of acquiring one of the last pairs of-" He did not name their eyes, cautious even now. "Do not show them."

"My promise," Sasuke vowed.

"Then it is time." Itachi started forward.

Sasuke hung back and looked at the manse. At his brother's back. "I love you, Itachi. You do not forget _that_ , nor forget me."

* * *

Though they were on the second floor, the sound of the knocker hitting the door was loud enough to be heard throughout the entire residence. He nodded at the boy to answer it.

 _And now I will have satisfaction,_ he thought.

Immediately after his meeting with the stranger this afternoon, he'd come back to the residence. Fantastic speculation on what kind of individual would be offered him plagued his mind through his bath and mealtime. Even during his brief nap, the idea pricked him. More titillating still was _why_ he was being offered anyone at all by this stranger.

Earlier, while perusing what the flesh peddlers had to offer, it astounded him to feel such power at his back. He'd turned, expecting to see…well, not what he saw. A man of average height and build, wearing a cloak of such dark red it was almost black. The hood of the garment framed a face quite handsome, but it was the power in the man. The chakra was of a level he'd never personally encountered in anyone outside his handlers. That the man could sense and interpret his levels as well had been cause for greater surprise. He'd stood in delicious anticipation of what would happen next. _Perhaps_ _I'll be attacked,_ he thought. The prospect excited him.

To be offered a slave was the last thing he'd expected. The stranger bore not a single thing to identify him as a trader, for one. For another, one did not approach one such as him with an offer to _trade_ anything. Things were given him, without payment. The only reason he'd consented to view the offering was because he could not fault the stranger for his lack of respect; his identity was not known in the land. And because he'd never been so curious about anything in his life.

He could hear his manservant returning with two sets of footsteps behind him. Comfortable on his cushions, he reached for a handful of dates and popped one into his mouth. _Now. We shall see what we shall see._

* * *

It was the boy who answered the door, Itachi saw. Free to do so, he scrutinized him properly as he and Sasuke followed him through the halls and rooms.

Young. Perhaps a year or two younger than Sasuke. Sable hair in a thick braid that reached his waist. Brown eyes that somehow missed nothing even while remaining downcast. Strong. Very strong. Deadly if crossed, most likely.

A glance at Sasuke showed he'd drawn the same conclusions.

They were led up a marble staircase adorned with iron grapevines, down another hall, this one open to the main courtyard on one side, and finally to a room with a triple arched doorway. The boy passed through without stopping. So did Itachi. Sasuke did hesitate, but only for a moment.

Itachi took in the opulence of the room in a sweeping glance, but all of his attention went to the pile of white cushions along one wall and stayed there.

The man reclining on those cushions —even beheld—could scarcely be confined to the term human. He was yet larger, somehow, than he'd appeared when standing. Perhaps because his robe was discarded. He and Sasuke stopped before the cushions. The boy knelt to one side of them, but the man seemed uninterested in their arrival. He tossed dates and nuts into his mouth without looking at them. Itachi looked his fill.

The blond hair was almost impossibly thick, and so long that it was gathered into a tail and loosely looped around the man's neck. That neck, it must be said, was also thick, leading to very wide, powerfully built shoulders. Chest, arms, torso…hairless and muscular. Very…uncommonly…muscular. Veins twisted along the forearms. The hands were heavy, long-fingered, square-tipped. The man's bottom half was clad in a garment of the same orange material as his robe had been.

Itachi looked back at the face, where he was startled to note that the eyes were looking at him in turn. Apparently they were to be acknowledged at last. _Blue. I've never seen blue eyes before._

The man's eyes drifted to Sasuke…and he slowly got to his feet. Looked Sasuke up and down, then took a single step that put him no more than half a pace from them. His eyes never left Sasuke's lowered head. _I have him,_ Itachi thought. _Praise the gods._

"Unclothe him," the man said. "I would see this offering."

"No." Itachi kept his gaze on that potent blue one. "Once he is yours, you may see him. But not until negotiations are complete."

"Do not test me, _Dakhna_. Your insolence is tolerated only because of your ignorance. I'll not be denied."

"And I'll not be cheated."

A pause, wherein they each measured the threat of the other.

Itachi knew he was laughably outmatched, but the man's yen for Sasuke was palpable. It gave him the advantage. "Shall we proceed or do we walk?"

"Proceed." He stood stiffly, all but quivering. His eyes were glued to Sasuke's form.

"Very well. I will receive questions, if you have any."

"The offering is powerful. Has power."

"Yes."

"Equal to your own. Nearly."

"Yes." At the man's glance, he added, "He is trained in the Arts."

"No slave, anywhere, is ever trained in the Arts."

"Truth."

"He is no slave."

"Truth."

"Yet still offered."

"Yes."

Silence. "I do not trust you." The man seemed to wake from a trance. He blinked. Lifted his head. Stepped back. "Whatever your reason for offering him unseen, I want no part of it. Leave. And give thanks that I have pardoned the insult done me this day." He turned for the cushions. The boy stood to lead them out.

Itachi bowed from the waist…then straightened and removed Sasuke's cloak. For good measure, he took the midnight blue _shruda_ as well and folded both garments over his arm. "Forgive me."

The man glanced over one shoulder and froze.

Itachi held in his relief at seeing the man's eyes widen. He touched Sasuke's arm to signal that he should lift his head, that his face could be seen as well as his body.

The man circled Sasuke slowly. "Such magnificence," he murmured. His hand hovered over one pale shoulder but didn't touch. "Such superb musculature… Gods, the _perfection_ of him."

He completed his circuit and now stood facing Sasuke, one hand behind his back, the other on his mid-section. Many minutes were spent in silent contemplation of Sasuke's face. The hair drew a wondering frown. Caused him to step very close, bend to it, and sniff. When he straightened, he studied the face once more. "Look at me."

Thus far, Sasuke had kept his eyes lowered. He saw the man upon entering, noted his size and strength, and knew beyond doubt that there was no way in this world or any other that he could submit to such a creature. But his brother was right. Capture was a matter of time. Their pursuers were already in the city, looking for two. Separation was a risk, but it was also their only recourse for survival. He couldn't deny that nothing he'd ever seen matched the strength of the brute inspecting him. If there _was_ safety to be had it was at his side…yet that did not guarantee he would be safe from the brute himself. These thoughts were visible on his face, he knew. He'd been happy to hide within his hood, head down. But now he was exposed. And had been given a command. Jaw clenched, he raised his eyes. Blue that glittered with barely restrained cupidity met him.

The man gave a slow, wide grin that revealed prominent canines. "Aaaah! The violence of his eye pleases me beyond words. You spoke truly, _Dakhna_ , he is no slave. Unbroken, this one." He forced himself to look away, as if Sasuke's beauty was a drug he needed to abstain from. He focused, instead, on Itachi. "List his virtues."

"He is strong, as you can see. Unmarked. Never sick. Beyond intelligent. He has mastery of the elements, as far as the Arts are concerned. Accomplished swordsman. Brilliant strategist. And…he is unbreached."

The man drew in a quick breath. "You are certain?"

"I am."

"How old?"

"Eight and ten."

The man moistened his lips. Moved toward Sasuke. "I will inspect him now." He looked to Itachi for permission.

Itachi bowed in acquiescence.

He began at Sasuke's head, burying his hands in all that hair with a faint sound of greed. Brought his nose down and inhaled long and hard this time. Parted the strands to inspect the scalp. Moved to his face. Thumbed the lids wider. Tilted Sasuke's head back to peer into his eyes, look up his nose. Applied pressure to Sasuke's jaw. When his mouth opened, he inserted two fingers and prodded the teeth. Inspected the teeth and tongue. The area around them. Withdrew his fingers and sniffed them. Sucked the saliva from them and pursed his lips as if analyzing the taste.

He moved to the rest of Sasuke's body. Kneaded his neck, shoulders, and arms. Laced his fingers with Sasuke's and bent the digits back. Inspected the nails. Placed his palms on Sasuke's chest. Waited as he timed both heart and breath. Ran his thumbs over the nipples, whereupon he was rewarded with a hiss of indrawn breath and one of Sasuke's arms lifting reflexively to push those hands away. The man waited to see if he would. Sasuke didn't.

There was a quick appraisal of each sturdy leg, both feet, and the breadth of Sasuke's back before he sank to the balls of his feet behind Sasuke. He placed a hand on one flank. "Bend."

Sasuke remained upright.

The man looked at Itachi, who caught Sasuke's eye. Sasuke swallowed, but bent from the waist.

The man placed his hands on the muscled halves of Sasuke's arse and pressed them apart. Studied the pucker of flesh. Smelled it. Tasted it with a flick of his tongue. Laid the pad of one thumb to the hole and pressed. Pressed harder, almost penetrating, until the arse in his hands tightened in discomfort. "Unbreached, as told," he muttered.

Finally, he went around and adopted the same position in front of Sasuke. He stared at Sasuke's shaft, where it hung against his eggsac. Put his hand on the flaccid length.

Sasuke's knee slammed into his face.

Itachi backed away at once, as did Sasuke. They each had their chakra engaged to the fullest degree possible, all but searing the air around them. The boy was also on his feet, unmasked.

Only the man remained unmoved. In fact, he was still down on one knee. One forearm on the upraised knee, his other hand splayed against his thigh. His eyes were downcast. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth. The nose was actually skewed to one side. To their shock and fear, the nose began righting itself with small crunching sounds of realigning bone.

The man stood and looked at Itachi, who braced himself for a fight to the death.

"Name your price."

Something cold and hard settled in Itachi's innards. "No. You mean to harm him for drawing your blood."

"He is stronger, more beautiful, more perfect than any slave ever sold. Untainted by disease. And utterly untamed. I mean to have him. Name. Your. Price. I'll not ask again, _Dakhna_."

Without lowering his guard, Itachi straightened his spine. "I would have assurances. In writing."

"I've neither the time nor the inclination to summon a scribe."

"Then you must swear. In chakra. On the chain."

The man's jaw flexed. As yet, his power was leashed, but he was approaching the limit of his patience. "Who is he?"

"Unimportant. Who are you?"

"Important."

"Assurances. On the chain. Or we take our leave. What say you?"

He said nothing. But he crooked a finger over his shoulder at the boy. A moment later the chest Itachi had seen with him in the market was brought over, with the addition of an oblong wooden box of rare sandalwood. The boy opened the lid of the oblong box. The hinges were silent, the interior lined with kanji carved into the wood itself. There, gleaming like polished jet, lay the double loop joined by a single chain seen on all slaves and their owners. It was said the chain itself was more chakra than metal. The loops and chain stretched to accommodate any size slave, or any distance up to a furlong. And the chain was unbreakable once forged. Able to take on the imprint of an owner, and enforce the owner's will upon a slave.

They were not easy to obtain. The traders in their guilds had access to them, but if acquired on its own, they were said to cost enough to feed a village.

They each stared at the loops, now small, and the connecting chain until the man placed his fingertips on the chain, looked at Itachi, and said, "What are your words?"

"That you cause him no harm, show him no cruelty, and shelter him from all hurt and suffering. That you do not, through deed or word, put him at risk of harm, hurt, suffering, or cruelty from another. And that you do not sell him, give him, or leave him with another for any reason."

The words were repeated. The man's chakra glowed from his hand to the chain. "And now," he said. "Your price."

Itachi looked at the chest, which the boy now opened. It was filled with gold coins, gems, and pearls. He sifted a hand through these riches. Selected a black pearl and held it up to the light. Dropped it back into the chest with a gesture at all the wealth. "A kingdom in jewels, to be sure. But insufficient."

The man blinked, but gave the tiniest nod to the boy without taking his eyes off Itachi.

The bottom of the chest was removed to reveal a separate compartment. Inside lay a length of ivory satin the boy carefully unwrapped.

Itachi knelt at the chest, mouth slack. "Are they real?" he breathed.

"Quite."

Three large, uncut gems lay side by side, each larger than his fist. There was a yellow diamond and an emerald, but by far the largest was a blood red ruby. Of all the stones in the world, rubies were the rarest. Coveted and hoarded to the point of death. Itachi cradled it in both hands and lifted it out as if the gem were a living babe. "This." It was worth all the riches in the chest a thousand times over. "I will have this as payment…and fifty black pearls of comely size." The thought crossed his mind that he should take the contents of the chest altogether, but the man would have Sasuke in his possession; he could not then leave the man without the funds to keep him. "That is my price."

The boy located and found the pearls. These he put into a fur-lined pouch, along with the ruby. The chest was closed. The boy retired with it to his corner by the cushions.

Itachi produced a bill of sale he'd prepared beforehand. It contained Sasuke's description. Now he added the payment to it, and signed with his chakra thumbprint. The man pressed his glowing thumb near Itachi's. All anonymous documents we signed this way. Itachi duplicated the document with a hand seal, and handed the copy to the man. The boy came and took it.

It was done. Itachi waited for whatever happened next.

The man hooked a finger beneath the chain and lifted it from its box. The loops clanged when they came together. A surprisingly light chiming sound.

"You are mine now," the man said, circling Sasuke once more. "Until I deem otherwise, you shall be called Nameless. He stopped in front of Sasuke and held up the chain. "You will swear on the chain to obey me in all things. Now. Before this man who's sold you leaves."

Sasuke looked at his brother, but Itachi's face was free of all expression. And because he'd already agreed to this, because it would mean their survival, he made his face blank too. He grasped one loop. "I swear to obey you in all things." His chakra flared a moment in response. He could feel the bind in his body and clenched his teeth.

The man took the loop from him, opened it, and placed it around Sasuke's neck. Once closed, the opening fused into solid metal once more. It was incredibly lightweight, Sasuke found. The other loop went around the man's left wrist, where it shrunk to size. The chain hung between them.

The man looked from Sasuke to Itachi. "Leave."

Itachi bowed himself out.


	2. Pursuit

Chapter 2: Pursuit

"You are untutored in slavish behavior," the man said. He turned and began walking toward his cushions, where he dropped into a reclining position. "Truthfully, I do not require a lickspittle. When I went to the market, I sought only a body to satisfy my needs. Someone to do the things I am accustomed to having done for me while I make my journey."

Sasuke was grateful for this explanation as it demonstrated, to his mind at least, duties outside of providing pleasures. He looked at the boy. "You have a slave."

The man's laugh was loud and light. A sound of delight. "Were you not in chains he would kill you for that. He is no slave. Never that. He is my _alma_." At seeing the confusion on Sasuke's face, he tried to explain. "He is my soul's companion. No. The soul of my soul. A part of me. Sacred. He was given me, as my due and duty, upon his birth. He has been fed by my hand, cared for by me, and no other."

"Why?"

"People of my station are required to prove themselves worthy. In my country, one of these ways is the keeping of an _alma_."

"Then-"

"Henceforth you will only speak when I give you leave to speak."

Sasuke kept his face smooth, but his hands curled into fists.

"Your anger amuses me. Come to me, Nameless."

The command was tangible in his mind. He was thankful that moving his feet was still up to him, but he didn't test the knowledge. He went and stood at the edge of the cushions.

"Your fists and the clench of your jaw betray you, Nameless. If so light a command heats your blood you will make a very poor slave…to most. For me it is exciting. Closer."

Sasuke took a step onto the cushions. Those eyes seldom blinked, he found. They stared at him, though the man continued to eat. Sasuke had the peculiar sensation that the man thought about far more than whatever was coming out of his mouth at a particular moment.

"On the subject of commands, I will assume you know nothing of how the chain functions. Especially given the fact that you are no slave. No. Nor are you lowborn. That _shruda_ and cloak you arrived in were fine quality. Very fine. And your companion was similarly dressed. His speech was cultured. And his power! Yours as well. Power such as that does not come without long, arduous, careful instruction. Which is not given in any common Art guild. Mm. The more I ponder it, the more I wonder why he was so adamant in selling you to me. Did he need the funds so very badly?"

Sasuke looked him in his eyes without blinking.

The man grinned…then stopped. "By the Demon, I will take great pleasure in breaking you, Nameless. Mm. The chain. Such is its nature that once it touches an owners hand, no hand but that may set the slave free. Similarly, if ever the chain is used in an oath, such as your clever companion forced me to do, that oath cannot be undone. Not even by a person of my talents. Perhaps you wonder why. Or, as your eyes tell me even now, you think you will be different. That you will get free. The chain is…" The man's eyes left him at last as he searched for a way to explain. "The chain is a tool of balance. No. Of harmony. It is only as strong as the owner or slave it is bonded to. So. Having sworn oaths on the chain with my chakra, were I to then attempt breaking those oaths, the chain would stop me. Stop me based on the strength of my chakra. 'Twould be like battling myself. An opponent I would not wish on anyone. And were you to try doing the same, you would face opposition equal to your own power from the chain. So you see, there is no escape for you. Put it from your mind. Instead, consider this: you swore to obey. Your considerable power will see to it that you do. I am far more powerful than you. A command from me can and will be enforced should I feel opposition from you, and I can enforce it beyond your ability to resist. I can kill you with a command, Nameless. Do you understand? Speak."

"Yes."

"It is well. But take heart. Your companion was shrewd to extract the oaths he did." His left hand twisted and hefted the chain between them. "I cannot harm you in any way. Were I to try, my oath would stop me. And my oath, my chakra, is not something I can disobey without serious consequences. Most likely my death. However, I do not foresee problems. My journey is a peaceful one. I need only continue west, to the setting sun, until I reach my destination. And during that time, Nameless…I _will_ tame you." He blinked at last. "What are you thoughts on the matter? Speak."

Sasuke had many. Chief among them, that Itachi had known back at their inn that he would extract the promises he did from this man. And that if the man was unable to hurt him in any way, or threaten him, or get rid of him, then the only way to tame him would be with the power of his mind. A mind, the man had just explained to him, that would be backed by chakra vastly more powerful than his own.

 _Your will can and_ will _be subverted. You will be commanded. Possessed. Controlled._

Itachi had gone on to tell him that he could maintain himself because he was strong. And later, he had begged from him the promise not to forget him. As if he could possibly forget his only brother. _But it must be a possibility. This man I'm chained to must have the ability to overpower me to such an extent that I forget even myself, as Itachi made me promise I would not do that either. Gods. What am I to do?_ "

"My thoughts. Why must I be tamed if my temper pleases you so? Leave me be to express my temper whenever I wish and I guarantee I will please you often."

The man had to push the bowl of dates aside, so wildly did he laugh. He writhed in his mirth. Twisted. Kicked his legs and beat at the floor. Sasuke was startled to see tears dot the man's lashes before he was done, and that end was several long minutes in arriving. Such _howling_. When at last the man flopped onto his back with a sigh and a giggle, he looked weakened. Finally he arranged himself in his former position and regarded him with moist eyes that were still half-closed in laughter. "Nameless. I do confess I have fallen in love with you. Of all my possessions you are beyond doubt the most treasured. By His Eye." And he collapsed in another fit of laughter.

Sasuke took the time to glance at the boy, but he sat as stoically as ever, eyes on the man.

"All right." The man wiped his eyes. "That is done. Ten Tails, you are priceless. Such wit! As to why you must be tamed? Because I wish it. Yes, your rage amuses me, since the sharper your rage, the more enjoyment I will derive from quelling it." All humor left him then, to be replaced with the watchfulness from before. "Make no mistake, Nameless. Though amusing, I will not abide a contentious slave. You are mine. So you will be as I want you. And I want you soft and willing." He retrieved the dates and ate several. "Come closer."

He took another step.

"There is much I sense about you. Something beyond the power of your chakra and body." He squinted. "Around your eyes, I think. Have you a _Doujutsu_?"

He tried to lie and found he couldn't. "Yes."

"Show me."

"No-" The pain of disobedience was immediate. It radiated from every pore in his body, while his brain positively erupted at the warring commands of his promise to the chain and his promise to Itachi. Behind his lids he felt his _Sharingan_ flare, and so kept his eyes tightly shut. _Let him think I grimace in pain._ When he could breathe, and control was once more his, he slowly opened his eyes.

The blue ones were waiting for him. Watching very closely, without blinking. "That pain was not light, yet you neither flinched nor cried out. My pleasure in you grows by the minute, Nameless. It is well for you that I withdrew the command, else your brains would be leaking from your nose even now." One date was thoughtfully placed between his lips, bitten in half. "There are only three _Doujutsu_ of note. Three that would cause a slave sworn to obedience to disobey. Clearly you are no Hyuuga. In any case Her Radiance, The Pure does not suffer any of her clan to leave the wildlands. Then it is _Rinnegan_ or _Sharingan_. And of those two, the _Sharingan_ is far more common. Especially as I know of only one man who bears the _Rinnegan_." The other half of the date was eaten. The man's eyes lowered to take in Sasuke's body again. "Uchiha are pale, as you are. Dark of hair and eye. Said to inhabit the Mists to the north before the wielder of the _Rinnegan_ began hunting them. 'Tis said all the Uchiha are dead." A challenge in the blue. They glittered. "Are you Uchiha?"

He was expecting the pain this time, and withstood it with only a tightening of his jaw. He couldn't lie, but he could, he found, resist. Somewhat.

"I see. Your companion was cheated after all. There are no riches to equal the price of an Uchiha, much less one in possession of _Sharingan_. I must say, an Uchiha slave is quite fitting for one of my station." That challenging gaze left him at last. Settled on the bowl of dates and nuts. "Speak." He plucked an almond stuffed date from the bowl. Licked it of its nectar.

"What do I call you or refer to you as?"

"No comment on my observations? You may call me High One or Master, refer to me as the master."

"What are you?"

The date was nearly choked on as another laugh was startled out of the master. A short one this time. "Let me hear your theories."

Sasuke took in the whiskers and canines. "A demon."

"A man," he countered, "who is more than a man."

"You look young, yet your words have wisdom and learning."

"Suffice it to say that I am your age. Or thereabouts. My speech is the product of a particular education."

"You have far too much arrogance for one so young."

"And you have less intelligence than I was led to believe. You are strong enough to resist your oath to obey; I am a good deal stronger than you will ever be. Have I not said as much?" The master's eyes held his until the meaning was clear.

As he had every intention of resisting whenever possible, Sasuke thought it best if he showed meekness on occasion. He lowered his gaze.

The chakra condensing around the man softened. "Never insult me." The blue eyes were quite suddenly red. The canines lengthened.

"Yes. High One."

And the face was normal again, as if the bestial quality had been nothing more than a trick of the torchlight. Sasuke swallowed.

"Do you sing, Nameless?"

"No."

"Dance?"

"No."

"Are you proficient with musical instruments?"

"No."

"Then I suppose my entertainments with you will be few. No matter." He smiled. "My. An Uchiha. All is made clear; you have been left with me to escape the _Rinnegan_ wielder. Your companion extracted the promises he did in order that you be kept safe. Who was he?"

This time the command was not withdrawn. It tightened in his mind, intensifying the pain in his body until he feared his eyes would show. "My brother," he gasped.

"Another Uchiha then. He was not unfortunate. I would gladly have accepted him too." He was quiet a time. "The one who wields _Rinnegan_ is powerful. But not my equal. You will be safe from him. And now, let us eat." He signaled the boy, who left and returned with a large wooden platter. This was set in front of the master. "Sit, Nameless. Not there. Here, on my left. Always my left. No, do not eat. I have not given you leave to eat. You feed me first. Then my _alma_ eats. You eat what is left." He waited. "Is my beauty so compelling that you will stare at me until the sun comes?"

Sasuke studied the bowls of food. Stews and curries of goat and lamb. Camel meat over rice liberally flecked with cumin seeds. Vegetables pickled in chili or vinegar or both, and much creamy yogurt. There were no utensils. His people did not touch food with anything but knives, spoons, and forks. Clearly, things were different here. Quelling his distaste at the need to treat food with such disrespect, he scooped up a handful of rice. Uncertain, he moved this offering in the direction of the master.

He opened his mouth.

The experience was one he admonished himself to get used to. The master's mouth sucked his fingers clean after each bite of food. When it was his turn to eat, he did so with his other hand. "May I speak?" he asked when he was done.

"No. Do not ask again. When I say speak, you speak until I say cease. Cleansing of my person, my belongings, and the vessels I eat from now falls to you. Away with these." He nodded at the platter. "This night is wasted, so we will sleep now. Be quick."

The chain allowed him to descend to the kitchens, where he found servants. They did not offer to clean the platter or its dishes, so he did so himself, as instructed. Since he hadn't been told he couldn't, he also took the time to answer a nature call in a tiled chamber lined with pots for this purpose. When he returned to the master's chamber, he found the torches extinguished save one. It showed the master waiting. The boy was absent.

"My nightly habits are usually performed later, toward dawn, but as we are retiring at this early hour you will do them now. Disrobe me and tend my hair. Then we sleep."

The lower garment was easy enough to remove. He did so while being careful to avoid contact with the master's baser parts, but the hair gave him pause. No further instructions were given. At length he looked around for anything that could be seen as personal effects. Nothing. Save a satchel to one side of the cushions. Inside, he found a brush, a _ra'di_ , a cloak, and a large irregular circle of solid gold threaded through with a length of cord.

He brought the brush back to the cushions and knelt. The hair was looped twice about the master's neck. When it lay across Sasuke's legs in a heavy tail, he set about undoing the three-strand rope it was fashioned into. Loose, it was longer than the length of the master's body. He commenced brushing it in long strokes, beginning at the ends.

"That is good, Nameless. Very good. You've a strong arm. I am not allowed to change aught in my person until I Ascend, so I am forced to carry this hair around. 'Tis a botheration, to be sure. I have never seen hair as short as yours. The people of my land wear it long, like Hyuuga, but braided."

Sasuke worked his way up the mass.

"I noticed earlier how you avoided touching my sweetmeats. Tell me. Are you unbreached at your age in deference to a vow?"

"No."

"A lover? Your body promised to another?"

"No."

"Fear?"

"No."

"Shame? Disgust?"

"No."

"Have you mounted another at least, or are you complete in your purity?"

"I have never mounted."

"Ah, yes. I recall my lessons now. The Uchiha are the most religious clan. Pleasures are never exchanged unless a bonded pair must sire a child."

Incorrect, but Sasuke remained silent.

"A virginal Uchiha. Ten Tails. I have been favored beyond mortals this day." His voice strengthened. "That is well. I plan to breach you, but your eyes are not yet right. One catches more flies with honey, so I will wait. Until your eyes beg me for it."

 _Gods willing, you will never see such a look on my face._

"In the meanwhile…"

Sasuke very nearly cracked the brush against that bright head at feeling his shaft grasped. He resumed brushing with difficulty, even when he found his flesh surrounded by the silken heat of the master's mouth. His hands trembled then, and his breathing stopped, but he continued to focus on the hair he brushed.

"Your sweetmeats are as superb as the rest of you." The master leaned back, licking his lips. "Clean. No disease. Superior length and girth, though by no means equal to my own. Yours is healthy and responsive. I expect it will give us both great pleasure. That will do, Nameless. Plait it and then lie beside me. Without touching me."

 _And thank the gods for that,_ Sasuke seethed. He stretched out on the surprisingly uncomfortable cushions. _Itachi, my dearest brother. Once I have implored the hells to send every demon they possess after you, I will pray equally long and hard for your success. Nothing save the possibility of that will keep me tied to this animal._

* * *

At one of the shaded balconies in the Red Palace a smallish boy/man stood gazing into the distance. Moonlight caught the jade of his eyes, silvering them. "The news you impart is not unknown to me."

The gate guard at his back trembled. "No, Your Eminence and Glory. Never did I seek to imply such. I only meant to inform, as is my duty."

"They gave description?"

"Yes, Your Eminence and Glory. Two males, similar in face, but a few years separating them."

"And did you see such?"

"No…yet I was not on duty before they asked."

"It is well. Is there aught else?"

He thought of the robed one who'd entered the night of the storm's appearance.

"No, Your Eminence and Glory."

"Leave."

The guard fled with the speed and silence of a mouse.

His Eminence and Glory turned from the balcony. His _alma_ stood to one side. "He lies. As if I do not feel the power lying in yon house. Prepare escort. I would know the reason for such behavior."

* * *

He woke to the feel of pressure condensing in the air around him. His _alma_ rose to stand beside him. The nameless slave he'd purchased also sat wide-eyed and attentive. He got to his feet, scenting the air. Listened to the smallest sounds of the night carried to him on the breeze.

Outside. The approach of many feet. The pressure swelling to levels uncomfortable by any save the three who now stood sweating beneath it.

Below, the main entrance was thrown open, followed by the imperious sound of heel on tile. Many heels. Yet he knew the majority of them escorted only one set of note. And when the first retainers entered his chamber bearing torches, he threw himself down in prostration. His _alma_ followed. Nameless remained standing, surveying the scene. He yanked him by the chain, seized his head, and pushed it to the floor just as the owner of that stifling pressure walked inside.

-oOo-

He stood at ease, behind an escort of twelve. These were parted into a double row. His Eminence and Glory stared at the three bowed heads before sauntering forward at his leisure. "You have some cock to enter my land without word or greeting," he murmured at the largest one. "Who are you."

"One who has not yet Ascended."

"…Ah. That changes matters. Rise. All of you."

They stood, Sasuke sensing immediately that he was to do so last. Nor did he look at their visitor. The urge was overwhelming but he kept his eyes on the floor.

His Eminence and Glory was another matter. After a cursory glance at the giant in the middle, his eyes went directly to the one chained to him and stayed there. Then they narrowed. "By the Demon. That is no slave."

"He is. Mine. I purchased him."

His Eminence moved closer to the black-haired youth. "Such as he has never graced the flesh markets of Suna. I would know. I possess all the best flesh. Give him to me."

The master tensed. Closed his eyes in relief when he felt opposition from the chain. "My humblest apologies, Your Eminence and Glory. I cannot. I have sworn words on the chain that forbid me leaving him with another."

His Eminence blinked several times. "You deny me."

The master lowered his head further. "The chain-"

"Cease. I am well aware of the fate that awaits oathbreakers. For one such as yourself the result would most assuredly be death." A sigh, as his eyes roved over the youth…before sliding to his owner. "I have never met your like. Even amongst our kind. And since I am denied your slave I consent to have you for the remainder of the evening." He waited.

The master slowly raised his eyes. "You do me a grave honor, Your Eminence and Glory. May my humble person bring you pleasure."

Those green eyes moved up and down the large body several times. "There is no doubt it will. I've yet to meet one who can overpower me. I shall treasure the experience of having one such as you at my command. Come. Bring your slave and _alma_. I prefer my own quarters to this place."

Sasuke, eyes firmly on the floor, was nevertheless aware of the master's boy hefting the chest onto his back. So focused was he on the presence of His Eminence and Glory, though, that he missed the master's stare in his direction. Not until he was backhanded with enough force to make the bones in his neck creak did common sense return to him. He rushed to dress the master.

"Is he a dullard?" asked His Eminence.

"New," the master countered. The pain of hitting Nameless despite his oath had yet to fade. "Acquired only this night."

"You don't say. That sounds like a tale worth hearing."

"To be sure." He paused as he took the _ra'di_ from Nameless and wrapped it himself. "I can scarce believe the circumstances myself."

His Eminence turned sideways, gesturing for the master to walk beside him. "You may regale me as we walk."

* * *

Outside, Sasuke thanked the gods it was still dark. He was naked as his nameday thanks to Itachi taking his clothes with him. He wondered if he'd be required to parade about in his skin during daylight hours as well. He felt horribly exposed; not since the Mists had he gone without his cloak. Anyone from Akatsuki might recognize him, but there was no one but themselves on the stretch of grass between the master's residence and the Red Palace. He folded his hands before his groin and put his head down anyway.

"Found me in the flesh markets," the master was saying. "Well aware of my power yet unafraid. Quite powerful himself. Said he had a superior individual I would be interested in."

"Still. To approach one such as yourself. A fearless man. Or desperate."

"Perhaps. But he was honorable. Arrived at the appointed hour. My slave was as purported. More, even."

 _So he plans to keep my secrets,_ Sasuke thought. _His arrogance does have limits._

"And what of the man who sold him to you?" His Eminence said. "What sort of man was he?"

"Mm. A private one, I think. When he left my residence his presence was directly masked."

"Masked. A man in hiding, then." His Eminence was silent a moment. "Describe him."

"Fair. Dark of hair and eye. Slender."

"Not unlike your slave then. I find that interesting. A group of men with considerable strength entered my village not long before you did. I'm told they seek two men similar of face with few years' difference between them. What make you of that?"

Sasuke felt his breath shorten but all the master did was shrug. "No mention of pursuit was made to me. Only my slave's virtues. Which I asked for, of course."

"Of course. By His Eye, he does take the breath from me. And this man simply offered him to you." His Eminence made a low sound. "I confess myself insulted. As ruler of the land this man saw fit to enter, I should have been offered the perfection of your slave's person first. He should have been given to me. Why do you suppose he chose you? Did he know who you are?"

"Most assuredly not. All he would have known about me was my power. He couldn't have known if I had the funds to pay what my slave is worth which, truth, I do not. No sum could purchase such as he. But I believe that had I only the shake of my hand to offer as payment he would still have given him to me."

"One wonders why. Ten Tails. Such a mystery. You have given me much to reflect upon this night."

-oOo-

They arrived at the Red Palace. The escort of twelve accompanied them to a set of tall golden doors on the third floor, doors inlaid with the symbol for Sunagakure. His Eminence preceded the master inside. Sasuke and the boy brought up the rear.

Inside, all was gold against the red sandstone. Gold tile, golden couches low on the floor, tapestries of different shades of gold. They continued to the sleeping chamber where a large, sinuously curved bed dominated the room. This was covered in golden linen, topped with golden pillows, and hung with gauzy golden material of a sheer and shimmering quality.

His Eminence walked to a low table of gold filigree, where earthenware dishes, glazed and gleaming, were arranged. Fruits, dates, nuts, and wine for His Eminence and Glory. He poured for himself, lifted his goblet, and turned to regard his guest. "And now," he murmured, "for what has sizzled my blood from the moment I beheld you." He looked nowhere but at the master as he sipped. "Show me that cock again."

This time Sasuke moved at once. He unwrapped the master's _ra'di_ , removed the orange robe, and pulled down the lower garment. Holding all this close, he backed away again, head down.

His Eminence hummed. "That _is_ a cock to dwarf the mighty Demon's himself."

From the corner of his eye Sasuke saw him approach the master. Heard the master's grunt as His Eminence grabbed the base of his cock and squeezed. More, he released his chakra. Far more than he'd done at the master's residence. He and the boy sank to their knees, but the master stood upright, cock swollen until the veins on it were prominent.

 _Who are these people,_ Sasuke thought _. How do they have such power?_

The master was pulled in this manner to the bed, where His Eminence looked up at him, face red and visibly excited. "I know the rules of our kind and of the Ascension," he said. "Unless your death is imminent your power is to remain hidden. I do not ask you to violate your oaths. But short of the Arts and your true strength I give you leave to subdue me by whatever means available to you. You are to command me, beat me, draw my blood…all in the name of my subjugation. I'll not submit easily. I will fight you. And, unlike you, my Ascension is behind me. I can and will access whatever powers I choose to display. However, my strength is as nothing beside yours. Overpower me. Is all understood?"

"It is." His eyes never blinked as he stared at His Eminence, who scarce came to his chest.

"That is well. Now. Upon my command, you are given free reign with my person. When I say cease, or if I am rendered unconscious, you are to stop. Only then. No matter the sounds I make."

"It is understood."

His Eminence nodded. Sasuke, trying not to look and failing, saw him swallow. Moisten his lips. Run greedy eyes over the master's body. He even saw him trembling ever so slightly. So portentous was the moment that he found his own body quivering in response.

"Begin," His Eminence said.

"Nameless!"

Sasuke jumped hard enough to rattle the chain.

The master spoke without looking at him. "Watch." He then removed the chain from his wrist and fastened it around one bedpost.

Sasuke would never admit to what a relief it was to actually be given leave to watch. Mating was an intensely private thing to his people. Done only after vows were exchanged. Most certainly never witnessed by outside parties in this manner. It was with shame and no small amount of curiosity that he gazed toward the bed.

His Eminence still had hold of the master's cock. The master closed his own huge hand around His Eminence's throat and lifted him to eye level. His Eminence was indeed strong despite his size. Sasuke both felt and saw the way his chakra lashed about as his hands latched on to the one around his neck. The muscles in his arms stood out as he tried to pry those fingers loose. The master didn't lose his grip. Not until His Eminence was nearly as scarlet as his hair and choking for air. The master flung him to the bed.

Violent was His Eminence's coughing yet even so he rolled to his back and stretched a hand toward a corner of the chamber. Sasuke could barely tear his eyes from the way the master stalked around the bed but he was in time to see a wall of sand bearing down on the master. This resolved itself into tendrils thicker than Sasuke's limbs, which then wound themselves around the master's arms and legs. He was halted. But only briefly.

Sasuke's hand rose to his mouth to keep in his shout.

He could feel the power in that sand. Feel His Eminence increase it as the master managed a step. Then another step. His Eminence left off holding his throat to get to his knees and raise both hands to his sand. All his power was in it, Sasuke could tell. And while tremendous, it did not stop the master, who now brought forth his own chakra. Were he and the boy not already on their knees they would have dropped from the weight of it. As it was, they were forced to remain upright by supporting themselves on hands and knees.

At seeing the futility of his efforts His Eminence accessed some power that had his eyes yellow and strange. This was what caused Sasuke's near shout. The master was indeed pushed backward, his feet sliding on the tiles. And then he stopped. His head, lowered beneath that assault, now lifted to reveal his own eyes red and bestial, as they'd been at his residence. His teeth became fangs and a growl that shook the chamber had Sasuke pushing himself backward until his arse touched the wall.

The master could not be stopped. He went forward step by inexorable step. His Eminence was now sweating with effort. The master reached the bed and His Eminence fought even then, launching his compact person at the master only to be sent back to the bed by a blow hard enough to make Sasuke wince. He glanced aside to see what the boy made of this display, but the boy had his eyes on the floor.

When next he looked toward the bed it was to see the master forcing his cock into His Eminence's mouth, a hand fisted in his hair. The thing barely made it halfway. The master slapped at His Eminence's face until the smaller man made strangled sounds…but he did open his mouth wider and swallow another few finger lengths as his throat was filled. "Suck. Hard," the master said through his teeth.

How such a thing was possible given the way His Eminence struggled to breathe, Sasuke didn't know, but the man did indeed hollow his cheeks on the master's cock. The master's face tightened in approval…right before His Eminence lifted a hand. The sand lying dormant on the floor rose to life and formed spears thick as Sasuke's arms. These flew at the master and pierced clean through his body.

Sasuke yelled in triumph. Surely the master must be dead!

But no. Sasuke shrank against the wall as chakra such as he'd never felt had his hands clamped over his mouth and his eyes bulging. He all but suffocated where he sat.

The master's entire body glowed yellow. His fangs lengthened, his nails grew to claws, and his whiskers were thick and dark. The growl that came from him now shook the Red Palace itself. Sasuke's ears were bleeding, he saw when he brought his hands down from covering them. He was deaf but for a persistent ringing. That knowledge scarcely caused him to blink as he saw the spears forcefully ejected from the master's body by his chakra alone. They embedded themselves in the walls and ceiling, one directly above his head. The master's wounds—gaping, mortal wounds—closed on their own.

He then went after His Eminence.

Though much smaller, His Eminence had chakra of his own, growls of his own, that came to his defense. But not his devastating blows, his sand, or the wind that sluiced about the chamber prevented the master from beating him almost senseless or hooking his claws into him and raking him bloody. Sasuke thought maybe His Eminence yelled, but the master was in the process of pushing him to all fours on the bed. He then stretched his arse wide, opened his mouth, and sank his fangs into him. Into his arse, around his entrance, Sasuke presumed with a swallow. His Eminence and Glory's face contorted. But it held pleasure as well. He pushed back against the face buried in his arse. Reached behind himself and yanked the face deeper by a handful of the master's hair.

The master shook his head free and stood straight. His mouth was bloody. He took hold of his cock, which Sasuke noted filled his large fist completely, and set it against His Eminence's entrance. His Eminence panted in need, his eyes glazed with desire.

The penetration was not smooth by any means; the master had to shove several times, during which His Eminence cried out in pain and pleasure, before his cock was properly sheathed. The master remained that way, unmoving, until His Eminence began circling his hips, causing him to wilt and work his mouth at the pleasure this gave him. Sasuke wondered if he was speaking. Then the master dug his claws deeper into the lean flanks he held, drew back, and rammed forward again.

-oOo-

Sasuke took careful note of it all. The way the master hammered that small body unmercifully. The way he slapped at the arse he abused, or yanked His Eminence's head back by the hair. How His Eminence cried out again and again, his lust keen and sharp, a goad to the master's cruelty. He took it all and begged for more. He saw the way His Eminence drooled in the extremity of his pleasure. Saw the way his body quaked. Heard, even if faintly through the ringing in his ears, how his screams climbed in volume at the punishing pace the master set.

He couldn't look away. He was sworn to obey and so he watched. But he felt defiled at the things he witnessed. The brutality was revolting.

And yet, there were gentle moments. When the master turned His Eminence to his back and entered him that way, for instance. Or how His Eminence, legs clamped around the master's waist, ran his hands over and over the muscles in the great torso above him, how his head tossed and turned. How the master licked his face and neck almost tenderly, only to lean up and gaze down into the green eyes as his hips quickened once more. The things the master did with his mouth weren't all biting either, Sasuke observed. Sometimes His Eminence and the master exchanged strange caresses with their lips. Sometimes their mouths fused together for long minutes, His Eminence clutching the blond hair tightly. Never having witnessed mating or received his lessons in this aspect of bonding, he was left to guess what this particular act signified.

For sure he was astounded at the many positions in which mating could be accomplished. On all fours, standing, reclining, sitting…there were a wide variety of positions beyond these. He sometimes had to tilt his head until it was nearly upside down to interpret what he saw but through it all His Eminence evidenced great passion and enjoyment, though the master beat and commanded him many times. They both seemed to enjoy the standing position against the wall best, wherein the master supported the smaller man's weight almost entirely by a hand around his throat. His Eminence enjoyed pain, it seemed. More than once Sasuke saw blood coating the master's cock yet not once did His Eminence indicate that a halt to the proceedings was necessary.

 _Well then,_ he thought. _That settles it. Not only has His Eminence all but confirmed Akatsuki looking for me, but this demon I'm chained to must truly be from some low pit in Hell. He even swears by some fellow demon, and possesses all the traits of a rabid animal. That he walks and talks like a man is but trickery to hide the truth. Ah, but I see him very well. Promise or no, oath or no, chain or no, death or no, I will see myself into the wind before a sennight passes. I will find a way. I will find Itachi. And I will be free of this madness. May Hell claim me for eternity before I am used in this fashion. On my life, I will not be!_

* * *

They were spread throughout the village, from the filthiest slum to the prestigious camel herds and their owners. The Leader, however, stood in front of the last residence on the left in the northern prefecture, where his senses told him one of the ones he sought had lately been. He now sensed him just ahead, in the Red Palace itself. He sensed a great deal more than this. Power run amok. And such power it was. Fascinating! Here it was he'd been led to believe the First had been hidden among priests farther south. Lo and behold it was practically within sight. How the gods must love him! Proof that his was a noble quest.

Beneath his hood he smiled. Then he performed a particular hand seal to call his brethren to him. "My apologies, Uchiha. I will have to forego killing you in favor of a much worthier prize…for now."

* * *

Sasuke sat stiff and silent as the final thrusts and cries came to a halt. The bed was an unsightly mess of broken beams, torn linen and floating feathers. The master and His Eminence were across the room on all fours, ending as they'd begun. Now His Eminence put his head down on his forearms and was quiet at last. The master was still buried in his body and even now bending down to lick the sweat from His Eminence's back. "Cease," His Eminence said.

The master withdrew from his body and stood.

Several long minutes later, during which His Eminence's scratches and bruises healed before their eyes, His Eminence also stood. He made a small whistling sound, and a servant, male, came inside with a golden bowl of water and a cloth. He began washing blood and other fluids from His Eminence's body.

The master came over to them. Inspected them. Found them deaf and placed his hands first over his _alma's_ ears. Sasuke saw the hands glow and was somehow unsurprised at this further display of power. The boy merely blinked. When it was his turn, Sasuke tried hard not to flinch. But the glow was warm and soothed the ache in his ears. When the master removed his hands he found he could hear clearly once more.

"I do believe that is the first proper fucking I have ever received," His Eminence announced. They turned and found him clothed. He stood eating from a bowl of cherries he balanced in his palm. "You. You have yet to Ascend and so have not been given a title, but if you will permit me, I would like to…" the bowl was set aside, His Eminence suddenly quiet and respectful, arrogance gone. "I would like to exchange names with you."

Sasuke quirked a brow in interest. Most lands outside of the Mists believed a name was the most personal, most sacred and spiritual thing about a person. That to utter one's name gave the speaker power over them. To give one's name was to make oneself vulnerable. A cumbersome culture, wherein one was required to be present and thus physically seen if they were to be referred to. The Uchiha often joked about nameless foreigners. South of the Mists, a name was only spoken twice, at birth and at death. And only _ever_ given to one's life mate. Only the wildlands far to the west believed as the Uchiha did, and that a name was important, yes, but not imbued with power over another. If His Eminence and Glory was asking for the master's name it was tantamount to a declaration. It _was_ a declaration.

A fact the master was well aware of; he was immediately prostrate, his forehead pressed to the floor. "Forgive me. I beg you. But until I Ascend commitments such as this cannot be made. I am not worthy of the honor you do me. I will give you any price you ask in replacement."

"Then you feel the same? It is only your circumstance that hinders you?"

A hesitation. "Your Eminence…"

"Cease." He looked down. Twisted his mouth. "Very well. But once you Ascend I would very much like to call you friend."

Sasuke gaped as the master crawled to His Eminence's feet, lifted one, and placed a kiss on the toes. "It will be my first duty and honor upon gaining my title. May I prove worthy."

"I've no doubt you will. Stand." He stared up at the much taller man. Glanced at the boy, then at Sasuke, who was quick to put his own eyes on the floor. His Eminence lowered his voice. "Your power is immense. And I have felt others of our kind during my own journey to Ascension. None approached your level. Are you the Last?"

Sasuke strained to hear. Peeked. Saw the master giving a faint nod. _The last what?_

"Then I will be favored by your friendship. A fitting pairing, the First and the Last. Go. You have given me great pleasure this night. It will not be forgotten."

The master bowed from the waist. "It was an honor to do so."

His Eminence glanced at Sasuke. "I would advise you to continue your journey with haste. I believe your slave is being pursued. You may outfit yourself from your residence." He dipped his head in response to the bow. "Peace and safety-"

"-be yours and mine," the master replied.

* * *

They left without escorts. As before, he walked behind the master's left shoulder, the boy behind his right. So long were they in the Red Palace that dawn was upon them. The coolness of the night was already giving way to warmer temperatures at the sun's approach.

Across from the residence, on the other side of the white pathway, Sasuke saw a pair of yellow eyes affixed to the bole of a date palm. Even as he saw this the eyes closed and the tree was as if normal.

The master stopped in front of his residence. Sasuke strained himself, but as per his oath to obey he could not speak unless given leave to speak. He felt sweat on the back of his neck. They were here. Not all of them but some of them. Perhaps the master, in his great unfathomable power as the last something, also sensed them. Sasuke prayed this was true, but their presence was exceedingly subtle and he was finely attuned to them and the minute disturbances they caused in the atmosphere around them. _Let me speak, please let me speak!_

The master only stood staring up at the residence. Hands tucked in his sleeves. Still as stone. "Nameless?"

 _Thank the gods!_

"I feel your fear, but you worry needlessly. The wielder of _Rinnegan_ is not here. I would sense power such as that were he nearby. He is not. Calm yourself. Your fear irritates me."

 _Damnation! Of course he thinks one man is the only threat; no one knows of Akatsuki outside of the Mists. Outside of my brother and myself, now. They are here and in yon house, you arrogant dungeater, and if-_

"Let us go inside. We will sleep this day, after you've bathed me, then proceed fresh and rested come the setting sun." He moved toward the residence.

Sasuke actually tried to resist. Tried to remain where he was, but the pain was too sharp. He tried anyway, fighting it until he fell to his knees. The master continued inside. The chain stretched to allow this. Sasuke waited for sounds of attack but none were forthcoming. Looking behind himself, he saw and sensed nothing now. The presence was gone, likely to make its report. He got up and ran inside.

-oOo-

The master was in his sleeping chamber standing near the cushions. He was still fully dressed. "I do hope you learn to obey soon, Nameless. These childish bouts of defiance grow tiresome. I've summoned a bath. Disrobe me."

Even as he said this, servants came in bearing a large copper tub. More servants came and began filling it with plain water.

"If I must call you again, Nameless, I will begin disobeying my oaths as well."

Continued resistance was becoming too painful; the ability to sense his surroundings was being compromised as a result. At all costs he must remain aware. He went to him and began undressing him.

* * *

His Eminence was still smiling in bemusement at the destruction of his bed chamber when a servant scurried to him and whispered in his ear. He was striding from his chamber immediately, almost running in his haste, until he pulled up short in the courtyard below to see the truth for himself. Had he not been so occupied he would have sensed the arrival long before this.

One of the ornate _pelangki_ of the Red Palace was being set down in the center of the courtyard. The curtains were hastily pulled aside, whereupon a woman's shapely leg emerged. The rest of the leg's owner ducked out. The cloak she was wearing fell around her legs to hide her completely, but he knew. He held in his smile, but it was an effort. The solemnity of the occasion must be observed, after all.

While she knelt on the starburst design that was the kneeling place for generations of Sunagakure rulers before her, His Eminence glanced around the courtyard to find that his council and advisors had already been summoned. They lined the perimeter of the courtyard in silence. Once the _pelangki_ had been taken away, and it was just himself, the council, his advisors, and the newcomer, he cleared his throat. As ruler it was his duty to perform the first part.

"A year and a day since your journey's start. Did you draw blood?" he intoned.

"I did not," she said. Her head remained bowed, face hidden by her hood.

"Was your blood drawn?"

"It was not."

"Were you known?"

"I was not."

"Is your person intact?"

"It is."

"Stand."

She did so. Her _alma_ stood up behind her. His Eminence had missed seeing the girl in his happiness, but he acknowledged the girl's glance now, verification that all he'd been told was the truth.

"Disrobe," he said. He waited until her _alma_ removed her dark red cloak. Beneath she wore a tight fitting top of a dark color between grey and brown, and matching form-fitting trousers. Her feet were laced in camel-hide boots, and her hair was tamed into two corn braids. "You are no longer who you were."

The council consisted of three men and two women. They stepped forward now and surrounded the woman, each standing at a point of the tiled starburst on which the woman stood. The eldest council member spoke. "Your journey is complete and has been accepted," he said. "Ascend now, and be known as Her Blessing, The Chaste, successor to His Eminence and Glory." He was the first to kneel.

One by one the rest of the council members followed, each murmuring _Her_ _Blessing, The Chaste_ as they bowed their heads. The advisors were next. His Eminence, being His Eminence, was exempt. His was the duty to take the item an advisor handed to him before she knelt, and walk to the woman who stood upright. He presented it to her on both hands with an inclination of his head. "Your weapon. May you serve Sunagakure well with it."

She took it in both her hands. This was the signal for all those kneeling to stand. "As I live, so do I serve." She bowed to His Eminence, and he returned the bow.

The ceremony now at an end, the spectators all cheered with a chant of her title. His Eminence, free to do so, grabbed her in a tight hug. "Sister," he said into her ear. "Peace and safety."

"Be yours and mine. I've missed you, Brother."

-oOo-

Later the great gong announcing village news, threats, or warnings was rung three times, alerting Suna's inhabitants to palace news. They crowded the village square, spilling into the side streets beyond and standing on rooftops. The town crier announced that the sixth ruler had been chosen, her Ascension complete. "She is Her Blessing, The Chaste, may you serve her well!" And all of Suna erupted in celebration.

As per the dictates of an Ascension, celebration began from the moment the individual took office and continued for one hundred hours. There was to be no business done save taprooms and similar establishments. Ascensions were times of wild revelry and abandon and this one was no different.

-oOo-

In the Red Palace, bathed, oiled, and wearing a clinging silver _shruda_ Her Blessing paused upon entering her brother's sitting rooms. "Gods, but I can hear the drums from here. It's worse than your Ascension by far. Almost as if they knew when my journey would end and kept drink on hand to celebrate the moment my title was announced."

"As I am certain they did. Commoners always suss out the truth." He smiled at her. She was a vision in silver, her hair a golden cloud about her face. "We've never had a female ruler in Suna. That in itself is cause for madness. On the morrow, when you walk among them, see that your guards are present. I must say, your bosom stirs my blood."

"Stop, ere I mistake you for a Hyuuga."

"Would it be so wrong?"

"To lust after your sister?" She caressed the fan on her back, the weapon he himself had placed in her hands. "I may have been without this for a year but I remember how to use it."

"Cease. The Demon take me if I do. Besides, my lust has been satisfied this night."

"Oh? And how many virgins did it take this time?"

"None. A man." He rose from his reclining position to lean on an elbow and regard her where she sat on an opposite couch. "The Last is in the village."

Her eyes widened. "Are you certain?"

A nod. "The _power_ of him, sister. I cannot even begin to do it justice with words. He is magnificent. A god amongst mortals. Can you not feel him?"

She shook her head. Powerful she might be, but they both knew she would never be powerful enough to sense what he described. "And this is whom you laid with? Would that I'd arrived sooner. What does he look like?"

A man entered the sitting room, one neither His Eminence nor Her Blessing had ever seen before. "Yes. What _does_ he look like?"

* * *

The master sat in the water once he'd been soaped and rinsed, eyes closed. He'd bidden Sasuke to "Stand there and do not disturb me. My bathing is more than the cleansing of my person. I must cleanse my mind and spirit as well, especially before I resume my journey. After His Eminence and Glory, this will take time."

He assumed that meant meditation. Fortune was his; in order to properly sense his surroundings he needed to quiet his mind. He couldn't do that so long as the master required he be attentive. Now that the master didn't, he was free to empty his own mind. _There is no use hoping I am wrong. I saw what I saw._

He looked at the boy. For a wonder the boy was looking right at him. Alertly, not blandly as he usually did. Something told him the boy took the earlier mention of his fear seriously.

Yet the master continued to sit in his cooling bathwater. Meditating.

 _All right_. _All I need is a moment._ He closed his eyes. _Itachi is the cleverest person I know. He knew what this cursed chain would be like to wear, knew too that I would be sworn to obedience. Yet in the same breath he told me that I was stronger than anyone who'd ever worn the chain. That must mean he believes me capable of overpowering it. There must be a way. I must have a way to circumvent this ridiculous inability to disobey._

While his thoughts churned, he systematically subdued his conscious mind and shut out all sense of his physical body and its surroundings. He could not hear the faint breeze coming from the open window. Could not feel the tiles beneath his feet. Could not smell the soap he'd bathed the master with. He was no longer a body. Only thought. Everywhere and nowhere at once. An impression of the world in his immediate vicinity came to him thus. Things that bore life. The master, certainly. Bright and pulsing with power. The boy, nowhere near as bright, but still powerful. Trees outside. Grass. Gazelle, goats, peacocks. Lizards in shadows. Beetles in crevices. All on the surface, where things existed plainly. But beneath that surface, where things were hidden…that was where he sent his mind.

Slowly, little by little, his sense of the surface bled away. Until his thoughts hung suspended in a void. Seconds passed. An eternity. Utter stillness. Only his heartbeat. Then far and deep in the void, a pinprick. One he recognized. It was at the Red Palace.

* * *

His Eminence stared at the man as he got to his feet. He could feel his sister doing the same. What had him unmasking his chakra wasn't the fact that he'd never seen the man before. Nor was it the fact that he'd obviously infiltrated his palace unmolested. It was the fact that he had _Rinnegan_ …yet even within sight as this man was his power was undetectable. Power such as that would be felt despite being masked. To be able to hide power of such magnitude to such an extent was not possible in the known world.

The man continued speaking. "Of course I felt the power coming from this place. Saw the owner leave a short time ago. In the company of one I was sent to retrieve, no less. But then I realized just what I was sensing. The First. In the company of the Last. Can you imagine my delight at fortune favoring me so heavily? No, I do not suppose you can. The plan is known only to a few. Truth, I am not to begin collecting the Vessels until all the Uchiha have been accounted for, but this…this is too great an opportunity to let pass. No. Though the Last must, of necessity, be left alone until the others are collected, I cannot in good conscience allow _you_ to escape. That Uchiha will be retrieved afterward. I'm sure The Exalted will approve of my actions." He smiled. "Have you a death prayer you'd like to recite? Once we collect you, you will not be allowed to regain consciousness before extraction. And once extraction is complete you will not be alive."

Her Blessing used only her eyes to verify what her senses told her: this man was alone, but he'd just used the word 'we'. He _wasn't_ alone, then. If, though, his companions could mask themselves to the extent this man could, the Red Palace could very well be surrounded while they stood unaware.

She had not returned before time, it seemed. "Go," she told her brother without taking her eyes off the man. "My duty is upon me."

His Eminence didn't move. Her duty was to guard him and take his place should he fall. _His_ duty was to protect all of Suna and its inhabitants, herself included.

But this man intrigued him. "You," he addressed him. The eyes shifted from his sister to look at him. "Are you confident of success here?"

"Why, yes. I am."

"You know who I am?"

"Indeed."

"My abilities?"

"Of a surety."

Doubtful if, as he'd said, he was surprised to discover the First here. "Then nothing at all in my arsenal will upset that success. Correct?"

An inclination of that startlingly red head. "Truth."

"Excellent. I see no reason not to allow questions."

The man froze. Caution fairly oozed from him. "…Very well. Such as?"

"What plan do you speak of?"

* * *

There, in the void, other pinpricks became known. A formation. Surrounding the Red Palace. One surrounding this residence. Someone on the rooftop of this residence. And someone in this very chamber. Moving toward him.

Sasuke opened his eyes. The surface word crashed in on his senses. But he didn't lose his awareness of the silent and invisible intruder.

The master remained as he was. The boy, however, was still staring at him. Sasuke's adrenaline had his heart racing. To think that he was chained to such power and the man sat unaware. He didn't bother to turn around; at sensing the intruder's presence, the intruder in turn became aware that he'd been sensed. He stopped moving.

 _What can I do? I cannot speak, nor disturb yon great ass, but what_ can _I do? The boy._ He looked at the boy, met his eyes. Every line of the boy said he was ready and open for communication. Sasuke supposed he could convey a threat with hand signals, but he hadn't the first notion of the language of fingers. A random gesture would confuse the boy and perhaps bring the intruder to attack more swiftly. Certainly so. _What can I do, what can I do, what can I do._

Sensing that he was perhaps about to be revealed, the intruder began moving again. Five paces between him and Sasuke. The intruder moved slowly, well aware of the power in the room, but perhaps unaware of how much the chain curtailed it.

 _What_ can't _I do. I cannot disturb him, which means no sound. I cannot speak unless bidden. A gesture it will have to be, then. Wait… Can I move?_ He tried. _No. I was told to stand here._ He knew a moment of frustration so keen his _Sharingan_ threatened to manifest.

Four paces.

 _Itachi implied I could resist. How? How, gods damn me. Why am I different? How am I different? The master said no slave anywhere is ever trained in the Arts. So there is that. I am Uchiha. No Uchiha has ever been chained, so there is that difference as well._

Three paces. He could feel sweat bead his upper lip and run down his temple.

 _Uchiha. The power of Uchiha is Genjutsu. Genjutsu manipulates the mind, the senses. The chain is essentially chakra, and Uchiha can see chakra._ His breathing quickened as understanding became visible at long last. _Chakra is chakra, which can also be manipulated,_ exists _to be manipulated._

To do that he would need to see the precise way the chain—which was to say the master—twined with his chakra. A process he did not have time for at present. Not quite. But closing his eyes and accessing _Sharingan_ heightened his senses so that he could feel the master's chakra where it lay over his brain. The weight of that chakra did not bear consideration. Immovable did not begin to describe it. But move it he would have to. Enough to get around his oath, or, at the very least, rouse the master from the depths of his meditation.

Ah, but to pit himself against this much chakra with nothing but his mind would likely kill him. _I need not go far. Only as much as will allow me to cry out. To move. Gods give me strength._

Two paces.

He could all but hear his brother scream at the danger of him accessing his _Doujutsu_ in the presence of Akatsuki, even if his eyes were closed. _I will do you one better, brother._ He called upon _Mangekyo,_ his first time doing so since acquiring it a year ago. With this, his power grew immeasurably, and he thought maybe…just maybe he had a chance. Setting his chakra against the master's where it lay over his mind, he began pushing.

* * *

"The plan?" The _Rinnegan_ bearer looked aside in thought. "No. That is private. Only The Exalted can divulge that."

"And who might that be?" His Eminence said.

"Another private matter."

"I see. So. The plan at least entails the collection of all Vessels after the eradication of all Uchiha. What in the name of His Great Eye could you possibly want with all the Vessels?" As if he had to ask. One could only want such power for the purpose of conquest.

Instead of answering, their visitor held out his hand. His Eminence's gourd flew from its standing place to settle behind the visitor. "I know this is the source of your power," he smiled. "I'm afraid questioning is at an end. My apologies for my inability to answer. Your life is now mine-"

"My power is myself," His Eminence corrected. "The gourd contains only the seeds by which I create more sand. Special, yes, but not irreplaceable, and most certainly not the source of my power. A common misconception, that my control over sand is confined to that gourd. It might have escaped your notice, but all of Suna is sand…as is the Land of Wind."

The visitor's smile froze.

"And I, being me, control every…single…grain." His Eminences' eyes turned yellow and his body began to glow.

-oOo-

Her Blessing, well aware of her brother's intent, ran and launched herself off one of the many balconies. Mid-flight she opened her fan and soared toward the village proper, sounding the alarm with a ululating cry picked up by guards spaced along Suna's wall. This conveyed to the great gong ringer in the center of town the news of attack. The gong began its deafening count of twelve, the signal for all warriors to take their places. With her brother engaged, she was Suna's general. All direction would be taken from her.

 _Thank the gods the drumming and revelry has stopped._ She could make out villagers running as she neared them. Guards and soldiers were already lining up in formations, eyes skyward as they looked for her.

-oOo-

His Eminence watched the _Rinnegan_ bearer as he looked at his sister's departure, then back at him. "Still confident of success?"

* * *

Such was the strain of trying to move the master's chakra that Sasuke's nose began bleeding. The cry to arms was heard distantly. He knew His Eminence had unmasked his chakra. He had time to marvel that what he'd considered His Eminence's true power in the bedchamber was in fact nowhere near.

He was nearing the limit of his strength, passing from consciousness, when he felt the intruder come up right behind him. Mere inches separating them. Any moment now, he would be stabbed through his heart. _Your plan failed, Itachi. My identity was known the moment you left. The oaths you bade this brute swear on the chain have-_

 _The master's oaths!_

Strength flooded him. Enough to hang on a moment more. He _cannot put me in harm's way, nor suffer me to be harmed. I need only put myself at risk of dying for the chain to prevent him from letting that happen. Gods save me from actually dying. Please._ Sasuke threw every last ounce of strength he had at the master's chakra, feeling something in his brain give at the same moment, and the intruder begin reaching for him.

* * *

He was yanked to his senses by an upheaval of ungodly pain, realized the pain was from Nameless, saw his _alma_ running toward him, and sensed that someone was behind his slave. Someone he could not see, hear, or smell, but which he suddenly felt—through Nameless—loud and clear. His first instinct was to attack, but thanks to the chain, he found himself out of the water, his fainting slave scooped up in one arm, and his _alma_ in the other.

-oOo-

He burst through the roof, and was confronted by a man who looked like no man. The man had a weapon which he removed from his back. It was wrapped in linen, which he now began unwrapping…as he also unmasked himself.

The chakra coming from this man gave him pause. It was tremendous. And now that he was no longer simply reacting to the chain but thinking for himself he sensed many things: A female of decent strength flying toward the village, sounding an alarm; more opponents surrounding his residence; and His Eminence and Glory facing off against none other than the wielder of _Rinnegan._

The opponents surrounding his residence leapt to the roof. He counted a score. Male and female, and not a one with inconsiderable chakra at their disposal. Nothing to equal him, but certainly some not far beneath the man with the linen-wrapped weapon.

He let his _alma_ stand on his own. Nameless, he felt through the chain, was in serious condition. He looked down at him. Eyes fluttering to show the whites, nose hemorrhaging. Nameless was dying. Compelled to do so by the chain, he placed him on the roof and gently held his head between his hands. Accessed his healing and sent it forth into his slave. After some moments, Nameless became still, his face composed.

The man with the odd weapon spoke. "We do not want you yet, High One. We want that boy. The one chained to you. Step away from him and we will collect him without quarrel."

He waited until he was sure Nameless was whole. Until Nameless breathed deeply and opened his eyes. The eyes blinked in confusion then widened as memory returned. Nameless surged up, but he said, "Lie still."

Nameless did as bidden though his eyes bulged in defiance.

"Listen to me. Your pursuit has found us."

Sasuke's eyes rolled as he took in Akatsuki members all around them.

"Thanks to your brother I am bound to shelter you from all hurt and suffering. Nor can I put you at risk of hurt or suffering. Which means I cannot fight. Which means we must run and run hard. I will give you leave to speak, but speak only to me. Am I understood?"

The relief to speak was enormous, but the focus and intent he sensed from the master fair made him want to sing. _This_ was what his brother had hoped for. "Yes."

"Can you keep up with me?"

Sasuke paused to assess the power the master had sizzling at the ready but as yet still masked. "I think so."

"It is well. I cannot fathom it, but caution dictates that I say the following: should I fall, you are free, but if I am unable to flee, and fighting becomes unavoidable, I give you leave to protect yourself. You cannot protect me. Do not try. It is against the dictates of my journey. The same goes for my _alma_. Am I understood?"

"Yes."

The master remained as he was, down on one knee at his side, one hand resting on his knee. Looking nowhere but at him. A posture of ease, but Sasuke could sense acutely that he was not. Rage and frustration quivered along the chain.

"Move, Nameless."

The master was gone, flying off the roof to land on one practically on the other side of the village itself, completely leaving the northern prefecture behind. The boy was scarcely three paces behind. Sasuke unleashed every ounce of his chakra and leapt after them. Not before time; the one he knew as Kisame swung his sword at him and he felt the passage of it just miss his back.

* * *

It was no easy thing to unleash one's full power, not without battle and use of the Arts, but such was the speed required of him to keep up with the master that there was no choice. He halved the distance between them, noting the chain adjust as he did so, then halved it again. Suna was behind them. They streaked along the open desert outside the village, the master leaving fire wherever his hands and feet landed. It was then Sasuke noticed how he ran on all fours.

A boom sounded behind them. Sasuke glanced back.

Kisame led the group in hot pursuit, but farther in the distance he could just make out the Red Palace at the head of the northern prefecture. Even as he watched, a tiny speck soared upward from the palace as the structure itself dissolved and became a giant ball. The ball condensed on itself. Several huge animals burst free of the ball, however, and so he knew Nagato survived.

Kisame was closing in on him. He faced forward, forcing more speed from himself, but Kisame gained another pace, and another. The master was several paces ahead, the boy just behind him. He shrank the distance between them, but Kisame leapt-

The sand between him and Kisame rose up in a wall, curved, and surrounded Sasuke's pursuers completely. A single shocked glance behind himself showed the sand sucking them down, burying them alive.

 _May the Gods smile upon you always, Your Eminence and Glory,_ he thought. _But that won't hold them for long._

* * *

It did, however, hold them long enough for the master to lead them completely out of the Land of Wind, past the neighboring village, and into a stretch of scrubby grassland that held many tall hills. Each one was marked with a cave, giving testimony to a village of a different sort. They slowed to a walk. The sun was directly overhead, and villagers stared at him and the master, both of whom were nude. The master's hair was still gathered behind his head in the massive bun he'd worn for his bath. Only the boy was clothed.

They were passing through this village's market. The boy went to a vendor and pointed at a robe and a strip of cloth. He purchased these with a coin from the chest and brought them to the master, who donned the robe. The strip of cloth was placed in the satchel the boy had also had the foresight to snatch up. They continued walking.

-oOo-

Past the staring villagers was a stream where women in homespun were washing laundry and children. Past them was open land and more hills with caves. The master walked among these, noting that they were uninhabited. He selected one and went inside. Sasuke and the boy followed.

Light from without illuminated the master's carefully composed features, but his voice was like the crack of a whip. He spoke to Sasuke through lips that barely moved. "By the Great Demon's arse, _what_ in the name of His Eye was _that_?"

Sasuke only blinked.

The master had to turn away to restrain himself. _"Speak, may the Demon eat your liver!"_

"That was Akatsuki."

"And what, by His Ten Mighty Tails, is Akatsuki?"

"You know of the _Rinnegan_ wielder, who has a name as it happens, and his hunt for the Uchiha. No one man could ever overpower the Uchiha. He did so with the help of a secret assortment of people known collectively as Akatsuki."

The master breathed slowly, hands on hips, still facing the far interior of the cave. Sasuke waited.

"That man with the linen sword-"

"Kisame."

The boy issued the first sound Sasuke ever heard from him: a loud gasp. He saw that the boy's eyes were wide, mouth open in horror as he backed away from Sasuke. This reaction was nothing compared to the master, though, who spun around, bun flopping wildly, with his hand covering his mouth. His eyes bulged from his face.

Sasuke looked back and forth between them. "Is something-"

" _You said a name!"_ the master hissed.

Sasuke struggled to contain his contempt, but these were serious customs he was amongst and they must be observed. "Yes. I did. I know the names for most of the savages in Akatsuki. And they number over one hundred souls. I am…sorry. I am not from these lands."

Visibly shaken still, the master nevertheless struggled to proceed. Something occurred to him. "This…" He couldn't say the name. "…Swordsman spoke to me. Said he did not yet want me. And the _Rinnegan_ wielder was confronting His Eminence and Glory. Why? Why go to His Eminence, or refuse to attack me if whom they want is you and I was clearly an obstacle to what they wanted?"

"I do not know."

"Hmph. Well, I know something." The master's anger returned. "I know your _Dakhna_ of a brother was shrewd beyond imagining to chain you to me and exact those words in particular. I have not been gifted, I have been _cursed_." He raised his left fist and rattled the chain. "Because of _this_ I am caught in a war I will likely be forced to fight. _Fighting_ is against my journey's dictates. My _journey_ is mandatory for my Ascension, and my _Ascension_ is my cocksucking _birthright!_ FROM BIRTH I WAS GROOMED FOR THIS! But now, thanks to your brother, I must see it all violated."

"Was it not your greed to have me that brought you ruin?"

"You may lick the Demon's balls in thanks that I cannot tear your tongue from your handsome face, Nameless. Your brother is at fault."

"I like this no better than you."

A grunt. "We are in agreement then. Yet I cannot set you free, as that will put you at _risk_." He spat to one side to show what he thought of that. Paused. "Where is your brother?"

"I do not know. But before he came upon you his plan was to petition the high level practitioners to the east for assistance in his cause. The cause being the eradication of Akatsuki."

"A sound plan. Did you know your pursuers were in the village?"

"Yes."

"You knew they were near the residence. That was why you tried to resist going inside. What were you doing when you went against the chain during my bath?"

"Trying to warn you."

The master put his head back and closed his eyes. Sasuke heard him call on the demon for strength.

"What are we to do?" he asked.

"Do?" the master said without looking away from the ceiling. "Do. As if anything can be done while I where this filth. I cannot give you away, even. Cursed, I am." He brought his head down at last to fix Sasuke with a stare. "Here is what we will _do_. You will speak whenever you wish. I'll not have threats like that going unchallenged within my presence ever again. That such as they could mask themselves from me tells me I have much to learn still, which is a surprise. Next, I will continue my journey. I _will_ Ascend. But in order to do so, I must have this chain off me. Not simply removed, as I did in the Red Palace, but unbound from my body and chakra. I can only do this if you are not at risk, and I cannot do _that_ unless Akatsuki is dead in its entirety. I could finish them alone, were my Ascension behind me, but alas. So that leaves your brother. I believe it a safe gamble that he will go through with his plan. Which means he is heading east. The opposite direction in which I must travel…but if we travel fast enough we will reach your brother from the west. 'Tis fortunate that from Suna the practitioners to the east are roughly the same distance in either direction. If your brother is successful in winning the eastern clans to his cause, then no force under the heavens could stand against him. Not even me. There is a reason the east is called the wildlands, Nameless. The inhabitants are wild. Hm." He rubbed his chin. "My journey was to have been one of peace, but methinks it has suddenly gotten more interesting."

Sasuke refrained from commenting. Akatsuki at their backs and wildmen at their front. And this bastard was amused.

The master glanced at the light outside the cave. "We have hours until the sun sets. Let us sleep. We will need to travel like the wind come night's fall, or our lives won't be worth the cocks between our legs."


	3. The Shield

A/N: My apologies for the delay. Chapter 4 is about halfway done. Please excuse any typos, I did my best. Endless gratitude for your patience, comments, and encouragement. I love you all dearly.

Onward.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Shield

When the Last left his palace, before he'd been informed of his sister's arrival, he did the only thing it was prudent to do, given the Last's slave was being pursued: he kept watch. The eye he set to following his guests did so at a distance undetectable by the ones it followed. Consequently, he was unable to hear any speech that transpired. He saw them stop outside their residence, saw the slave peer toward the trees across the pathway, but this was the moment he'd been given news of his sister. Though her Ascension had taken the larger part of his focus he'd been aware of his guests still and of how the slave did nothing more than bathe the Last.

While his sister enjoyed her own bath, and the drums of Suna's citizens beat in gaiety, he reclined on his couch and saw, behind closed lids, the way the Last meditated in his bathwater. Curious. He himself did not meditate unless utterly alone upon the sand dunes northwest of the village. His sister entered his presence then and he'd been hit anew by her beauty. Taller than him, she was. Long and muscled legs, taut arms, rounded hips, and an arse that warmed his blood. High and tight, was his sister's arse, as was her bosom. His eyes lingered on her breasts. Plump. Dewed from her bath. The shadow between the rounds likely scented with jasmine oil, her preferred scent and one that would have been denied her during the journey.

He took a moment to lament the fact that she would never know the feel of a cock moving within her. 'Twas an ancient decree for all lands that female rulers be kept untouched by a man. Their passions could then be channeled into strength, which would thus enable women, always weaker, to rule effectively. Perhaps there was some truth to it. His sister was a creature of rare ferocity. He knew of no other woman a tenth as fierce.

There followed his conversation with her on the Last. He'd taken another peek at his guests. The Last was still in his bathwater, but the slave and the _alma_ were tense. Their body language communicated something to him, but it was then, right then, that the intruder made himself known.

"Yes. What _does_ he look like?"

He looked his fill. Unmasked himself as he swung his legs off the couch and got to his feet. That he was gazing upon power he could not feel put the fine hairs of his body on end and woke the sacred essence he carried. The conversation that followed did not produce enlightenment. We? So this man was not alone. The group of men who'd entered his village some days past, the ones he'd noted for their considerable strength, did not come close to the power of his red-haired guest…but then they'd been at a distance and could very well have mitigated the level of power they put out as a means to mislead…if that group and this man's companions were one and the same.

The intruder threatened his life. While the sacred essence murmured in his mind at hearing this, he took another peek at the Last. His guest had mentioned Vessels, after all. Perhaps someone had also been sent to collect him. But no, that scene was unchanged. The slave—whom, after hearing this man's speech, he could only surmise was Uchiha— stood just as tense, the _alma_ just as attentive, the Last just as still in his bathwater.

What _did_ cause that tension in the slave?

But then his sister spoke, admonishing him to save himself. She was, in truth, Suna's first defense now; another ancient tenet was that the ruler of a land, always the strongest, be its last line of defense. Lesser men or women, who were nonetheless powerful, must guard the rulers. His sister was his shield. All rulers had one. A backward concept, to his mind. How could one weaker protect one stronger? This was not why he ignored her: One, he had questions he wanted answered. Two, there was no way his sister could face this man. It was he whose duty was upon him, the duty for which he'd been entrusted with the sacred essence.

His questions were honest ones, but they went unanswered. Expected. Unexpected was his gourd being taken. Unexpected and amusing. That such ignorance would extend to the bearer of _Rinnegan_ himself. Unable to let the ignorance continue, he corrected his visitor. Called his attention to the fact that as far as sand went he was up against far more than the contents of his gourd. Perhaps the battle he saw looming could be avoided. His was a peaceful nation. But the promise in those eyes said otherwise.

The sacred essence swelled in him. They were of a mind, he and the essence: release was imminent, but he held it at bay. Long enough for his sister to leap from the balcony and get as far away from him as possible. Then, too, he could not release the essence while his people yet remained. His sister would see they were prepared for transport. He could feel them now, dancing still, ignorant still. His sister would need time.

"Still confident of success?" he asked. His visitor didn't answer him. He himself was content to wait. This gave him time to hear his sister's war cry, feel the villagers respond, and for him to caution the essence to patience. Always hungry, was the essence, yet seldom fed. A blessing. He greatly feared the essence would feast this day. Never a good thing.

His attention was pulled toward the Last. Something was happening. The Uchiha slave was collapsing, the Last surging from his bath to catch him even as the _alma_ ran toward the slave as well. The Last smashing through the roof with both young men in his grasp. His eye remained in the residence long enough to see a visitor of their own shimmer from the air right where the slave had been standing. A man clad in white. White of face and hair, two red points upon his brow. His eye followed the man when he jumped to the roof and so was in time to see the Last face off against a different man of questionable origins. He let his eye remain long enough to hear what this man had to say, to witness the arrival of more opponents, and to hear the Last's words to his slave. They would flee. And flee they did. The pursuit was immediate. He let his eye dissolve.

His visitor continued to stand and stare.

* * *

It was exhilarating to be part of the festivities at her age. Adults and older children stomped around her. Their robes swished. "Her Blessing! The Chaste! Her Blessing! The Chaste!" was roared from every throat. She saw heads thrown back, faces distorted with happiness. Date wine was consumed without restraint, splashed onto friends, and poured over heads. Surrounding it all was the fast, light sound of Suna's camel-skin drums.

Such wild dancing! She felt herself swept up and passed from one person to another but she was not alarmed. Violence was prohibited during an Ascension. She was weightless as the hands holding her threw her into the air. She saw other children her age and smaller also being tossed by the crowds. They shrieked with glee just as she did. She looked to the stars as she was pressed upward again and again, ever higher in the crowd's abandon. The wind surrounded her. The shouts. The drums. She felt cherished. Safe and whole and loved,as torchlight and starlight became one.

It was at the zenith of a toss, with nothing but sky all around her, that a sound other than shouting and drums was carried to her on the wind. A woman's voice, trilling like a bird. A strange and beautiful sound. Faint with distance, yet piercing just the same. She turned her head during that one instant between rising and falling, that one moment wherein she was motionless, and beheld Her Blessing, The Chaste herself. Flying. Soaring on her legendary fan. Crouched upon it. Clad in silver, like a star fallen. The cry came once more, and then she was falling to the hands below.

But they did not toss her again. She was held against the front of someone's legs, a pair of hands firmly on her shoulders. _Be still,_ those hands said. _Quiet and still._ She listened. All those around her were quiet and still and listening.

The first deep boom of the gong was different from the alert for palace news. All signals had a different tone. This one had not been heard in her short lifetime, but the sound made her skin grow cold. The very deepness of the count was so unlike the merriment heard only moments previous that her limbs shook. She knew the meaning before she heard the whispers fluttering around her: _Attack! Attack? No!_ She was buffeted this way and that as everyone began running.

This part she knew from lessons learned in school and at home. In case of attack or similar emergency, villagers were to get themselves to an extraction point. The urge to stop and call to her father had her stumbling to a halt. Before she could shout for him she was pushed from behind and knocked flat. A hand snatched her up again by the arm, nearly wrenching it out of its socket, but another body collided with her and the hand lost its grip. She was on her back, surrounded by flashing heels.

* * *

"I do hope you appreciate the respect I show you by collecting you myself," the visitor said. "Rarely do I display myself in battle."

His Eminence blinked. _So he, too, is waiting._ "I confess 'tis hard to appreciate one who makes war on your people."

"No concern for yourself?"

"I am not defenseless."

"Well, then."

* * *

Her Blessing surveyed the village from atop her fan. At the first signal of attack, every resident in Suna knew to make their way to the extraction points scattered throughout the village. Precisely thirty minutes after an attack signal was given, all residents were enveloped in sand, sucked beneath the earth, and transported to the mountains far in the north near the Land of Stone. What remained were Suna's Arts wielders, its fighting strength.

Looking now, she saw all non-combatants running for the extraction points, guided by the generals leading the ground force. A check would be made by the generals to see that all dwellings and shops were devoid of people, at which point the head general, standing atop the tower housing the gong, would signal her. She would then signal her brother.

Her brother's essence was a thing she was finely attuned to. It grew now, shivering along her senses as whatever threat he faced in the palace grew. _I will aid you, brother, only wait till the village is clear. I will lead all our fighting force in your defense. Your name will not be spoken this day._

Where was that signal! She swung by the gong, peering at the head general, but he stared toward the west. She looked as well, and saw a general run out of the last dwelling before the wall. He raised an arm. Other generals ran out of other buildings and gave the same gesture.

The head general at last looked up at her and gave the signal for the all clear. She responded in kind, then turned her eyes to the Palace. "We go to His Eminence and Glory!" she cried. She swung her fan round, Suna's army running in formation beneath her, but three individuals landed on a rooftop just ahead in the northern prefecture. Farther, she could make out the last house on the left, where, on the roof, more than a dozen other intruders surrounded three individuals. Even as she watched, the largest of the three took off, passing beneath her with the wild power her brother had spoken of. That was the Last? She caught the briefest glimpse of bare skin, fair hair, and a chained slave, also nude. They were over the wall and trailing fire across the desert before she could blink. The intruders who'd surrounded them were scarcely a hundred cubits behind.

"Our felicitations on your Ascension, Your Blessing, but we cannot allow you to thwart the Leader in any way."

Thus was her attention brought back to the three in her path. Her generals waited below, ranked for offense with their soldiers. It was a woman who spoke. They were all robed the same in sandcloth, but this one's head was uncovered. Blue hair.

"Will you allow us to collect His Eminence without interference?" the woman asked. "We have no issue with you or your people. Upon completion of our task, you will be free to lead in his place. A boon."

The currents she controlled to fly her fan were subtle. The very least of what she was capable, and a skill learned in her youth. Also learned, at the birth of her youngest brother, was the means to communicate with him by the wind that connected them all. Undetectable, for times such as this. She let her eyes catalogue details of her opponents as she siphoned a tendril of wind from the currents supporting her, sent it into the sand, and relayed her message.

In answer to the woman, a hurricane rose up at the movement of her arm and raged toward the three intruders.

But whoever was with the wielder of _Rinnegan,_ the three before her, and the ones pursuing the Last converged on her fighters below, unmasking themselves in the process. Three or four score, by her count, but none as powerful as the ones pursuing the Last, her three, or the one facing her brother. So they'd hidden themselves throughout the village? No matter. She swooped down into the fray.

The blue-haired woman appeared beneath her, riding a large white bird of parchment. "I think not, Your Blessing. Your fight is with us."

* * *

Having received his sister's message well before thirty minutes, he lost no time in transporting the villagers to the appointed locations. There were caregivers at the destination points, citizens of Suna who would look after them until the threat was past. No sooner had he done this than his visitor spoke. Respect and appreciation indeed. No, he was not defenseless. And now that it was safe to do so, he unmasked himself fully, to which the wielder of _Rinnegan_ responded in kind.

To let go of his thinking mind was a relief; ever had it been difficult to maintain himself while the essence was awake and in need. Yet still he waited. Only when all hope was lost would he let the essence walk free.

His visitor unleashed a force that was meant to pull him within range, but resisting was child's play. He did not intend to linger or bandy words. He could feel open war taking place upon his sands, his sister facing three opponents who were not inconsiderable. He was needed elsewhere.

A dog sporting several heads and a panda sprang into being atop him. Taking a page from the Last's book, he crashed through his roof, turned, and compressed his palace around visitor and summons both, crushing them. He applied more force, shrinking the sphere that had been his palace and killing all those inside-

But the summons burst free. His visitor rode atop the panda's head. Spikes of sand as tall as trees leapt from the ground and speared dog and panda both. As all structures in Suna were sand, they were all weapons. At his voiceless command they dissolved and converged on the _Rinnegan_ bearer and his new summons, shredding them. There was a moment wherein he felt nothing from his visitor, a moment wherein it came to him that the Last and the Uchiha were about to be overtaken. He aided them just as his visitor stepped out of the sand mounded around him. Unscathed.

Nor was his visitor alone. Now there were six people ranged behind him. All bearing _Rinnegan_.

"I hope you were not fooled by my paltry display in the palace," his original visitor intoned. "That was but a test. One meant to confirm that I was right to come myself…just as I was right to bring assistance. You do not speak nor use hand signals, yet I can see you've removed your people to safety and bested a number of my own. All while you have yet to manifest. Your Eminence and Glory, you are indeed a most powerful man. But so am I."

* * *

She managed to save herself from trampling by crawling to a shop that stood open. By the smell, it was a bakery. She peered around in the brightening dawn and indeed, there was the large brick oven, rounded on top, that produced the flat breads Suna was known for. She sat where she was, watching the stampede stream by the doorway. She should go with them. But she was so small and everyone was so big and strong in their fright. Surely it would be safer to wait awhile. Until the crowd thinned. The nearest extraction point was two streets over, behind the cloth merchant's stall.

-oOo-

It was one of her earliest memories, her father showing her the extraction points. The locations were a thing memorized in infancy. Three times a year, Suna held drills to practice evacuation. And twice a year, all the infants 6 months to 1 year where placed in the extraction points and left for an hour. During that hour, the sand leapt and cavorted with the babies. Learning them. Soothing their fears, teaching them the truth all Suna citizens were bound by: the sand was safety. The sand was sanctuary. The sand was shelter. This was the doctrine recited daily when children began school. Morning and afternoon. It was the first thing a child learned to write and read. Love of the sand and its love for Suna's residents was a thing cherished by all.

Once, when she was younger, she'd wandered away from her father while he shopped. Toddled to an extraction point. She had dim visions of the year before, when she'd been introduced to the sand. The shapes that formed in the air, the warm and gritty texture on her skin. She'd stood looking into the shallow well of this extraction point, waiting for the sand to dance. She'd waited for so long, she'd fallen asleep. She only woke at her father's hoarse shout for her. Frantic and worried and promising a beating. When she sat up, she was surprised to find herself in the extraction point itself, covered by a thin layer of sand like a blanket.

Her father spotted her. "Tata! You will be the death of me." A slap had indeed followed, but then he snatched her up and squeezed her. "Always wandering, my Tata. The sands preserve you, what am I to do?"

She rested her chin on his burly shoulder as he strode away. She could see the extraction point behind him. And there, just before it fell out of sight, she saw the sand rise in the shape of a hand and wave to her.

-oOo-

"The sand is safety, the sand is sanctuary, the sand is shelter," she whispered. Over and over, as she saw the last of the crowd disappear around corners. She was just about to venture out, but something, a sound or whiff of breeze, made her look into the shadows at the back of the shop.

A man stood there. Clad in the nondescript sandcloth travelers tended to wear. The shop owner lay dead at his feet, she saw with a lurch of her heart. And the man was looking at her.

Someone else ran through the doorway. A soldier of Suna, by his red _ra'di._ He saw her, saw the man, formed a hand seal, but a snake lashed out of the traveler's sleeve and struck the soldier dead. The traveler stepped over his body on his way to the doorway, where he stopped. Cocked his head at the all clear given to Her Blessing, The Chaste. Smiled. Then he turned his head and looked down at her. Eyes like a snake. And a tongue like one. "You look like a sturdy child. A good specimen to work with," he hissed. "Stay here. I will come for you when it is over."

One of his sleeve snakes slithered out and toward her then. It licked the air by her face, perhaps scenting her tears. She saw fangs and wet herself like a baby. But then he was gone. Nothing but quiet filled the doorway now. It was her chance to leave. To get herself to the extraction point before it was too late. But she was too afraid of that snakey traveler to leave the safety of the shop. She sat in her own urine and cried silent tears, covering her face with her hands. "The sand is safety, the sand is sanctuary, the sand is shelter."

* * *

The blue-haired woman was no match for her. A twist of her fan sent a sickle of wind at the trio that the two men evaded, but which sliced the woman in half. She heard one of the men, the blonde one, speak the woman's name. Konan.

Of the two men, the blond was by far the less deadly. He fought with explosives she neutralized or deflected with wind. It was the other, father of snakes, that had the greater mastery of the Arts. He toyed with her. Provided openings for the blond to throw exploding clay at her back or at her blind spots. A tornado infused with her chakra chased the blond across the village, where the houses dissolved as her brother waged his own battle. She was relentless. The blond, too, could flee on air, but her tornado hounded him even then. She knew her back was exposed, knew the father of snakes was going to attack her, but she did not release her focus on her tornado until that blond sand mite was caught in it and torn to shreds. She whirled, expecting death, but her final opponent only stood as she'd left him.

They were alone in a landscape dark and silent.

He uncovered his head. She found his beauty compelling, but he was speaking. No words reached her ears. Only a sound, like crumbling sand dunes. Or the ocean, such as she'd heard while on her journey. The waves made this same ceaseless, mesmerizing sound. She felt her limbs grow heavy. Felt herself falling. Felt his arms, thin but strong, catch her and draw her close. His face was over hers, the scent of him rancid as of dead things, but undeniable in the way it further clouded her mind. There were words in the sound:

"Your Blessing. I find you are far too vital to risk killing in battle. Strong females such as yourself are hard to come by. You took Konan and Deidara with ease. No. You will come with me, where I will discover just how much you can withstand. Mmm…"

His tongue lapped at her face, over her breasts, yet even so she was powerless to move.

"Such _life_ in you." He smiled. Glanced behind himself. The moment his eyes left hers, she thought she could hear…something. Thunderous sounds, the world gone mad. But then her captor turned back to her and all was quiet once more. "Your brother is far too wild for my liking. Let us leave this battle for the others. I have all I want, mm?" This time his tongue entered her mouth and she knew no more.

* * *

How she managed to evade capture she didn't know. The bakery dissolved around her then its sand flew into the air. She was briefly swept up with it as baking pans and other objects collided with her, but then she fell to the ground. Everything else continued to soar towards the Red Palace. Or where it used to stand. She ceased her screams when she landed to shield her eyes and stare.

Battle was everywhere. Sand was everywhere, like a cyclone, the eye of which was His Eminence and Glory. Soldiers of Suna warred with the invaders and so did the sand. It fought the enemies immediately around His Eminence, but spears and other deadly shapes formed of sand flew to the aid of Suna's soldiers. "The sand is safety, the sand is sanctuary, the sand is shelter." The litany fell out of her on a gasp of awe.

The sand was what Suna's people swore by. The living embodiment of His Eminence and Glory's love for Suna and all who called her home. She snatched a handful from the air and knelt where she was. Made herself small by bending forward, heedless of the violence around her. All of her focus was on the sand in her fist. She cupped her hands to her mouth and spoke directly upon the grains. "Sands preserve me, heed my prayer. I beg safety, I beg sanctuary, I beg shelter. Sands preserve me, heed my prayer. I beg safety…"

* * *

His thoughts slipped further from his control. The sacred essence sat silent and ready. It but waited for his request.

 _Rinnegan_ all around him. He saw himself as if through the eye with which he'd watched the Last. The way one body called all the sand and stone around the village, all furniture in dwellings, all the scattered and terrified animals into one horrifying technique meant to converge on him. But he resisted. His chakra was sucked, but he increased what he put out and that body fell dead. He watched, while fending off a centipede and a sea creature, as another body restored the fallen ones, and then the ones who'd pursued the Last and the Uchiha were brought. Taken right from his sand and into the battle they leapt, wroth at losing the Uchiha.

That man of questionable origins who'd spoken to the Last was a water type of worrisome skill. His sand swam in an ocean brought forth, but his wind dried it. They went back and forth, until a _Rinnegan_ body absorbed his chakra, another sent explosives at him, and some lizard creature fell toward him.

It went on. Another water type. A flute-bearer who tried to cloud his senses. The white man from the Last's residence. One wielding a scythe whose particular skill with the Arts had one of the sacred arms of the essence manifesting before he could stop it.

He was losing. But not lost yet.

His sand was a storm around all of Suna, leagues wide. It was an easy thing to locate his sister. Rage threatened his control at finding her captured and being sped away. Using his sand he speared her captor from behind, then dragged him limb from limb when another body began forming from the first. The head he crushed utterly, and the heart he buried and tore apart, lest his sister's abductor prove to be like another of the opponents he'd killed and have more than one heart.

His sister lay senseless. He gathered her in sand he made impenetrable and sent her away.

All this while his enemies converged on his own sphere, where he'd taken refuge. One of the _Rinnegan_ bodies, no, all of them, began the process of destroying it. He could feel where the remaining intruders stood ready. He had only moments before his chakra gave out, but a single one was all he needed.

He made himself sleep.

-oOo-

 _In his mind, he approached the prison housing the essence. "Sacred Spirit, First of the All-Mighty Demon's Divine Soul. I beseech Thee. Grant me victory over mine enemies. Be mine eyes. Be my body. Slake Thy thirst upon my foes. Thy will be done."_

 _"SPEAK MY NAME. AND IT WILL BE AS THOU REQUEST."_

 _His soul quailed at being addressed by such as the sacred essence, just as it did at having to speak its name. Never had he done so without terror. "Shukaku. I bid Thee come forth."_

" _THY WILL BE DONE."_

 _And always he felt as if he opened the gateway to the Hells. This time was no different._

-oOo-

He watched from the dream realm he was consigned to and was surprised to find the sun about to set. The essence, now free, screamed in delight.

* * *

Her Blessing woke on a shriek only to find herself enclosed in one of her brother's protective spheres. She felt him all around her. Warm. Strong. Full of love. So different from the presence of her captor.

"No… Gods, _no_. Brother!" He could hear her, she knew it. But he was either very weak…or asleep. She knew from experience that nothing she did would alter the sphere. Even weakened, her brother was too strong for her to overpower. "Please, let me aid you. Do not do this." Nothing happened. Her brother continued to speed her towards wherever he meant for her to be.

She let her palm rest against the curve of the sphere, where she herself sat huddled. The sand shaped itself into a hand and held hers. The tears she shed were bitter.

* * *

Few and far between were the days he left seclusion. Those were days he met with Akatsuki. Most often with those he'd selected to lead the organization until such time as the plan was in place. Rarer still was a summons from Nagato. Unheard of, truth. There was nothing Nagato could not handle, hence his appointment as leader. But the summons was urgent. A single step carried him from seclusion and into Suna, where Hell had been unleashed. The sand was a tempest covering the land as far as the eye could see. It sliced and bit at him until he could retreat within the protection of his chakra. He chose a vantage point removed from the thick of it and proceeded to watch.

The First stood alone. All manner of the Arts from Akatsuki swirled around his diminutive form.

Mesmerizing. The ruler of Suna was but a boy, but such mastery of the Arts did he possess that he himself could well see why the people of this land had elected a child to govern them. Were it any foe save his Akatsuki the boy faced that opponent would not have lasted the blink of an eye. Mighty was His Eminence and Glory. It swelled his heart to see such valor. To witness such persistence in the face of such odds, all while holding the essence at bay. To see the way he combatted Suna's previous ruler's iron sand with the same technique, the same skill, was nothing short of thrilling. Fearsome were those attacks, but no less so than when His Eminence wielded Gold Dust as expertly as his sire had done. He found his hand at his throat, mouth dry in awe. All of this His Eminence did without succumbing to rage, that his attacks should gain potency. His own eyes were moist in admiration. Outside of himself, he knew of no soul who fought with as cool a head. His Eminence was terrifying in his calm. He mourned, he truly did, that necessity dictated such an unparalleled boy should die. He would grieve deeply. Of remarkable stock were the rulers of Suna.

But his Akatsuki was unmatched in battle. Undefeated. They were beaten back time and again by the lone boy they faced, but ever did they press forward, attacks renewed, bloodlust undimmed. He could see that some had fallen, and this wrenched at his heart—they were like his children, Akatsuki. But his satisfaction in those that remained soothed his hurt.

Careful note was made of when His Eminence's counterattacks finally weakened. The way he retreated inside a sand sphere that hovered high above what was left of his village. The wind and sand raging about Suna became still, the skies clear once more. It was the hour before twilight.

Long and long had it been since he'd seen an essence unleashed. To see the First Itself explode from that sphere… The way it dropped to the ground… The way the ground for leagues shivered at the impact stilled his breath. His heart galloped and his every nerve tingled with expectation.

* * *

The boy looked on while Nameless continued to struggle. The master shook his head in disgust. "As the Uchiha were famed for their superior intelligence, one is left to wonder if you are truly Uchiha." He snatched the length of cloth from Nameless and held it up. "We face foes the likes of which I have not seen and yet a simple _loincloth_ is beyond your ken?" He flung it at his _alma_ , who was nude for this lesson. "Wrap it again. Nameless, _watch_ , the Demon take you."

Working slowly, the boy held one end of the cloth in his teeth so that the rest hung down his front. This length he then threaded between his legs, secured between his lower cheeks, then wrapped around his waist. When the cloth had gone round his body twice, he tucked the remainder into a section at his back, formed a loop, and tucked the end through this. He then pulled and the entire cloth tightened around waist and groin both. The end still in his teeth he released, folded over his groin, and let it hang thus. He looked up at Nameless and spread his hands.

Sasuke looked between the cloth and the boy. "Why cannot he simply wrap it around my person?"

The master nearly swallowed his tongue. "You ignorant _phel._ Son of flea-bitten _dog_ , that is what you are. Dare you suggest my _alma_ , sacred beyond _words_ , touch a _slave?"_

"I take it that, too, is forbidden?"

The master went red.

"Then, since I am yours, why do you not do it?" Sasuke offered his own nudity by spreading his arms and expanding his chest.

The master held up a hand and closed his eyes. Turned and carefully sat, his back to Sasuke. Sasuke was amused to feel fury pulse along the chain. The master was ready to kill him. Good. "Give me that," he said to the boy.

The boy unwrapped and handed over the cloth. Sasuke had it fastened about himself in the space of time it took the master to get back to his feet in shock. "You jest?" the master whispered. "You dare _jest_ with me? _Me?_ When I can kill you with less effort than it takes to blink my eyes?"

"I've known how to wrap a loincloth since childhood. What male worthy of his balls cannot? So no, I do not jest. I was testing a theory."

The master and the boy waited.

"The theory is simple: If you cannot harm me in any way, there is no reason for me to behave as a slave. I can obey…in my way."

The master stroked his chin. Walked up to Nameless. Looked him up and down. "If that is so then I, too, can obey…in my way. Do you truly wish to see what that is like? I know of no soul who would see me with my rage upon me, yet you court it freely." He held up a hand with the palm facing himself.

Sasuke watched the nails turn to white claws as they lengthened.

"What you witnessed with His Eminence and Glory was me at play. Look me in my eyes, may the Demon curse your name, and tell me you wish to see me wroth. Tell me truly that you want this."

The blue eyes slowly turned red from the pupil outward. Those pupils lengthened, became slits

"Tell me you would see just what it is that makes me more than a man. It is not simply strength and chakra."

The canines grew to fangs over a bottom lip now dark.

"You would not see what it is that makes me who I am, Nameless, not if you had the sense the Demon gave an ant. Would you?"

Sasuke took in the forelocks that sprang from the master's bun, shaggy and long around his face. The whiskers that were now profuse. The way an impossibly long tongue unfurled between those fangs to drip onto the ground. "…No."

"No," the master continued in the lowest voice possible. "You would not. It is well. I tell you truly and in secret, Nameless: what I carry cannot be fully controlled. I am still learning. Were I to lose my mind, it would be unleashed. Do not jest with me. Do not court your demise. I like the possession of you, but were I to part with my sense under the weight of rage you invite there is no oath under the heavens that would keep me from slaughtering you. Am I understood, Nameless?"

Sasuke swallowed. "Yes, High One."

"That is well." His features returned to normal and the master blinked. "An amendment to my lenience is in order. Henceforth you are only to speak freely whilst I am meditating, sleeping, fucking, or if you sense danger that I do not. Whilst I am aware, as I am now, you do not open your dung-filled _mouth_ for anything but breath, food, or drink."

"Yes, High One."

"Obey in his way, he said. Twice cursed _phel_. The taming of you begins, Nameless, and not before time."

Sasuke waited until the master turned away before letting out the breath he'd been holding. The feel of the master's chakra as it pulsed along the chain was a thing to turn one's blood to ice and the bowels to water. A blade entering his heart could feel no less deadly. _But that does not mean I am cowed,_ he thought as he watched the master drop to all fours. He slung the leather pack the boy procured an hour previous onto his back and set his stance. _There is no clan that knows the workings of the mind so well as the Uchiha. This chain will not hold me long._

-oOo-

Their run took them over rocky terrain this night. His feet were bloody in short order. He was certain now that the master was aware of every hair on his head, but he neither stopped nor inquired after his welfare. It was well. He had no desire to treat with the master while his rage yet simmered along the chain.

There was nothing for which he needed to be aware: The master ran ahead, the boy behind, and he brought up the rear. Featureless, the land around them. He let his mind turn inward, to the only matter of import that he could see.

The chain.

Now that he knew how, he located and examined the master's chakra where it twined with his brain. How did the master's chakra have the ability to overpower his will? What power allowed the chain to accomplish this? A _Genjutsu_ did the same, but there was a world of difference. _Genjutsu_ required the wielder's constant attention, whereas he was compelled to obey regardless to if the master was attentive or not, awake or not. _But why. That could only be possible if my brain were altered in some way. No longer an organ on its own but one that only operated on the foreign directive of an outside influence._ Sweating though he was from the brutal pace the master set, Sasuke nevertheless felt his blood turn cold. _That would mean that if he were to command me to die instead of fight should he fall, my body would drop dead. He could order me to hold my breath until midday and I would drop dead long before then. My brain controls my body's functions. My will controls my brain, and my will has been taken from me. Even my brain's control of involuntary functions has been usurped._ His _will controls my brain now, and thus my body. It is as he said then and he can kill me with a command. Gods save me, Itachi I will kill_ you _when next I see your face!_

Still, it was progress.

All that need be deduced now was the precise means by which the master's will was able to control his. What was it about the chain that made such a thing possible? _I am back where I started._ Yet he recalled his success in the residence. _It_ can _be circumvented. I know my brother, he would not have condemned me without the possibility of escape. What was done can be undone._ But he could not throw his power against the master's again. That way lay death. Something else then. Some crack he could slip through.

There was a game his brother would play with him when they were young. A multitude of wooden oblongs set to a pattern in an ever-higher tower. The game was to remove pieces one at a time without toppling the tower. "You must know which piece _not_ to pull," his brother said. He'd then shown him how a single piece could topple the tower. "All structures have a weakness. Just like all minds. All people. All societies. Everything in life has a weakness. Often one small thing, easily overlooked. You must _think_ , brother."

A weakness. Some small thing the master did not know about himself or else thought too negligible to guard against. _I will try, Itachi. But curse you. Curse you for putting me in this situation._ He would have to go slowly. Carefully, lest the master detect what he was about.

-oOo-

The environment outside of the Land of Wind remained uninhabited. Barren patches mixed with cacti, and spare grass continued for half the night as they ran. Only gradually did the vegetation thicken and the air moisten. Still they ran. Until stunted trees dotted the countryside. These grew in height and girth and frequency until the horizon began to lighten and a village of stone dwellings appeared as shadows far ahead. Sasuke thought they'd stop here, but no. Beyond telling the boy to purchase shelter the master pressed on.

They made camp in a plain more than a league away from the village. Camp consisted of the master simply squatting in the grass and giving the chain a yank. Sasuke went to his left and knelt. Though there was grass, stones and twigs abraded his knees. Being forbidden speech, he said nothing. Instead, he looked at the boy, who was setting the chest down, then at the master, who had his face tipped upward. Neither seemed inclined to procure food, which he considered cause for concern. He'd had precious little to eat since being sold, and the amount of energy he was required to expend during their flights demanded he eat well.

"Nameless."

He was brought out of his thoughts. "Yes."

"I do not sense your pursuers. I sense nothing behind us. Are your enemies close?"

He, too, became still as he concentrated. "No."

A grunt. "That may change. Speak."

"I do not sense them following. I have always sensed them before. We have covered leagues upon leagues. It is doubtful they will give chase. Especially as I am in your company. You may rest assured note was made of your strength. That you fled rather than fought means nothing. A report will have been made to Na…to The Leader, if His Eminence did not kill him. I feel certain his counsel would be for Akatsuki to wait until further intelligence is acquired."

The master was attentive, though his eyes were still skyward. "Intelligence? Of what sort? From what source?"

"Either from His Eminence, if he was beaten and taken prisoner, or The Exalted. Information about you or advice on their next move, having lost me and hopefully my brother."

"This is assuming His Eminence left any of your pursuers alive."

"Yes. Either way, pursuit would not be their first move. After encountering such opposition they must needs regroup."

The master nodded again. Squinted at the fading stars. Then lowered his head to study Sasuke. "At some point we will cross paths again, your pursuers and I. It is certain they will be prepared to take you from me despite my _strength_ when that happens. A battle approaches. I feel it. But it is not here yet. And having had my blood heated only to then flee has left me wanting. Sharply. However, it is what you said to me before our run that has kept my blood hot."

Sasuke felt the air immediately surrounding them change. It compressed. Thickened in a way that was no trick of the mind nor result of his wariness; the master's eyes were unblinking on his face and the air around them responded to whatever caused his stillness.

"You have leave to speak freely until I say otherwise."

"What is it you want?"

"The very question I hoped to hear. Perhaps you are Uchiha after all. To answer, I want you."

"You need me to perform a service? Hunt, perhaps? Bring food?"

A thin, humorless smile stretched the master's lips. "Do you recall what _I_ said before our run?"

There was no use pretending. "That my taming beings."

"And so it shall. Those words, Nameless. Obey in your way, you said. Mm. We shall see. Remove your cloth."

He had to stand to do it, but he removed his loincloth and remained standing.

"And now," the master breathed, eyes greedy in the brightening sun. "Pleasure me. Until I say cease."

By the frown on the master's face, Sasuke was not the only one surprised when he felt no pain from the chain. He stood there, blinking at the master, looking at the chain, glancing at the boy, who looked back and forth between them.

"Well now. One cannot fail to notice that you do not obey me, yet you feel no pain for that disobedience. Are you obeying in your way?"

"I do not know what you want of me."

"But I have said it. I want you to pleasure me."

"…I do not know how."

"Not know how?" A blink. "Even taking into account your clan's religious practice not to pursue pleasure outside the begetting of heirs, surely you must have at least seen-"

" _Seen?_ Seen! Your sport with His Eminence and Glory was the first I ever _saw_ of such madness."

"Madness, he calls it. Mm. And? Do you not recall what was done?"

"Every minute, to my shame and disgust. But I understood none of it. Why any of what I saw would elicit pleasure or the sounds you and His Eminence made…" He turned his head on a shudder.

The master stared. "'Tis unbelievable. Not only are you ignorant of flesh sport, your senses yet lay dormant, else the sight of our passion would have aroused a passion of your own. Correct me if I am wrong, but your clan is, _was_ , a segregated one, yes? Men and women did not mix?"

"We do not mix, period."

"How is that possible?"

"As passions may arise between the same sex as well as the opposite, Uchiha do not mix outside their family unless familial chaperones are present. Children do not go out without their parents, husbands do not go out without their wives, and so on. Then, too, segregation ensures the proper bonds are set within the family in case…"

"In case of what?"

"That is a clan secret I should not utter."

"I see. I'll not ask, then. But how and when do you people learn the art of mating?"

"When a mate has been selected for bonding. There is a period of time in which the prospective pair receives lessons. From their guardians. Most often, their parents."

"Only then?"

"Only then. Uchiha are strictly shielded from anything, any sight or circumstance, which may prove untoward."

The master scratched his chin. "Was your brother, ah…had he selected a mate?"

"We do not select our own mates. That is usually done for us. And no."

"The _pair_ of you? Unbreached?"

Sasuke's face reddened. "That is of no concern to you."

The master debated reprimanding such insolence, but was in truth too shocked. He looked at the boy. "Shelter. And then food."

The boy rose to obey.

"Henceforth those tasks will be performed by you," the master told Nameless. "But I find our conversation just now most fascinating. Tell me why, by His Great Eye, are Uchiha shielded from knowledge of the flesh? Why do you live lives of such carnal ignorance? 'Tis not natural."

Sasuke watched the boy erecting a large tent. "I only know what I have been taught. That to do otherwise is dangerous. For Uchiha specifically."

"Dangerous? In what way?"

"That is also private. But feeling runs deep in my clan. Too deep for unrestricted interaction between the sexes. It would limit our power."

The master actually stopped breathing in his excitement. "I see." And he did, may the Demon blind him. The Uchiha, it was said, were the fiercest of warriors after the Hyuuga. Many were of the belief that they were on par with the Hyuuga. For certain, the Uchiha were one of the mightiest clans to ever live. Such was their passion in battle that an Uchiha in possession of Sharingan was one of the most coveted prizes under the heavens. 'Twas thought that all their power lay in the eyes. But common sense afforded one the understanding that passion was a thing of the mind, the heart. And if, as it was known, the Uchiha were the fiercest in battle, then it must follow that they were the fiercest in bed sport as well. In which case it made sense to keep all interaction supervised. Well, it did not make sense to him but he supposed, to a religious clan like the Uchiha, that carnal abandon was some sort of blasphemy. Something that detracted from their strict rules. If that was the case, and the only bonds that were allowed to develop were those within the family…

"Your brother did not sell you lightly."

"No. He did not."

"Nor did you part from him easily."

"I did not."

"Truth, it was survival that drove him. Your survival."

Sasuke looked at his hands. Willed himself not to cry. "We have never been parted. Until now."

The master grunted. "Perhaps he is not such a _Dakhna_ as I thought." The boy stepped away from the tent and began gathering wood for a fire. "Come. Let us continue our original conversation inside. Your grief is heavy and I would divert you."

-oOo-

Sasuke didn't know what to make of such consideration. Once inside the tent –a wide and spacious affair- he turned to find the master removing his robe to sit down nude. The ground inside the tent was covered with furs the boy must have picked up when he bought the tent. His feet nearly wept in gratitude. The master beckoned him and he sat to his left, as before.

"Very well. You do not know mating. Show me what you do know of pleasuring another."

Sasuke remained as he was.

"Was there no touch given in your family that you considered pleasing?"

Pleasing. That was different. And yet this did not afford him a wealth of choice. Frowning, he reached forward and grasped the master's hand where it rested on his knee. Held it.

"Is that all?"

He had to quell the resentment that sprang up, but he moved closer, rose to his knees, and gave an awkward embrace.

"Cease."

He sat back gratefully.

"This will not do. My appetites do not suffer abstinence well. That which makes me more than a man demands I be fed. I need to fuck. Preferably one at least learned in the art. You are like water to one who craves meat. No. The time and care it will take to rouse your lust given the years spent suppressing it is not what I need now." He looked aside.

Upset hummed along the chain. Sasuke sat captivated. The master's need was like pins and needles. Odd to know this, feel it in his skin, and yet be fully aware that the knowledge was wholly in his mind and _not_ his own skin.

At length the master did look at him again. "I sense amusement in you."

"I am not. Merely curious."

"Mm." The master raked his nudity. "Give me your foot."

Sasuke frowned at the way his foot was almost completely covered by one huge hand, healed, and then simply held. His other foot was healed with the touch of one finger. The master's focus remained on the foot he continued to hold.

"High One…what are you doing?"

"Thinking. I have never been presented with the likes of you. I find myself unsure of how to proceed."

"Thank you for healing me."

A potent blue stare that had him stiffening.

"Slaves do not thank their masters. Not with words."

A thumb nearly half the size of his foot pressed into the arch, kneading there. His muscles responded by relaxing at once.

"Most often a slave gives thanks by performing tasks to please their owners. Then too, most owners do not go out of their way to please their slaves. Nor are most owners mindful of a slave's care. Slaves are slaves. Expendable. They have neither rights nor need of comfort."

The hand moved to his calf, closed around it in a grip warm and hard, and squeezed.

"You are no slave. I must needs remind myself of this often. You were neither born nor bred to obey." The other hand grasped his other calf and squeezed there as well. "Yet you are mine nonetheless. You will bend to my will, Nameless." The master met his eyes. "Else I will break you to it. There can be no obeying in your way."

Sasuke studied the emotions coming through the chain. Sincerity. Beseeching. Concern. "It is understood, High One."

Such relief and gratitude flooded the chain that Sasuke almost smiled. The master did smile. Broadly. Sasuke stared at all those teeth.

"That is well, Nameless, very well. I am mindful of your blood. Never think I am not. You are Uchiha. I'll not mistreat you if you but obey me, but I must be obeyed. And I must be satisfied."

Sasuke kept his eyes on the master's but noted that the hands were now on his thighs and rubbing. "Are my wants to be considered at all in this arrangement?"

"Elaborate."

"I do not want to touch you in that way."

"Have you reasons outside the dictates of your clan?" The hands were removed completely.

"Yes. It is repulsive. I cannot fathom worse behavior. Truth, I have tried to consider acts worse than what I witnessed between you and His Eminence, but there is nothing filthier than that."

The master backed away from him. "I would laugh were your ignorance not so chilling. To fuck is to eat or drink. A need that must be satisfied like hunger or thirst. To deny the self pleasures of the flesh is to die. 'Tis as plain as that. You would condemn me for something so common?"

Sasuke thought. "Yes. We do not bond any who have touched another in my clan. One who has been touched is unclean. Tainted. Unfit to bond or breed."

"The Demon's Balls, _why?_ "

"I only tell you this that you may know I will never be a willing participant to it. I will resist you. You may command me until I die, but never will I do what you did with His Eminence."

"I find this of great interest." He regarded Nameless. Loathing and resolve like iron came through the chain. "How is bonding performed? A ceremony?"

"Yes."

"Then I will bond you."

Sasuke stood and yanked the chain hard enough to pull the master's arm from his side. Truth, the master felt his shoulder socket twinge with pain he found titillating in the extreme. He likewise stood, ready for whatever his slave planned to do.

"Do not ever jest about the practices of my clan," Sasuke said. His voice shook and it was an effort to keep his eyes natural. "I would _never_ bond with the likes of you. I would never choose _you_. _Do_ not utter what you _do_ not understand."

Smiling in wonder, the master said, "Commands. From you. Your sense has fled. You have no power over me-"

Sasuke closed his eyes, accessed _Mangekyo_ , and sliced at the chakra that held him captive. One quick burst with all the power he could summon. The effort left him winded, but when he opened his eyes, now black again, he was rewarded with a welcome sight.

The master's head was still back from the force of his attack. When that head lowered it was to find the master's nose bleeding heavily from both nostrils and his eyes bulging.

Sasuke did nothing to hide his smirk. "Additional oaths cannot be sworn once the chain is put on another. That much I understand. I swore to obey. I did not swear not to harm _you_. You can command me not to harm you, but, as you see, I can get around your commands. Now. You do not know me. And what you know of the Uchiha is as little as most people know, so take heed. I am not violent under normal circumstances. Nor am I so young that I fail to see the wisdom of my brother putting me in your safekeeping. I will do as you ask to the best of my abilities, but there are some things I hold inviolate and this matter of _fucking_ is one of them. I will do all that you ask of me within reason, but not this. Never this."

The boy came in then with three roast rabbits on a spit. He looked at the master's bleeding nose, at Sasuke, and stood as if scenting the air for threats.

The master's fists were clenched. Veins in his forearms stood out. Every muscle in his body was tensed as hard as stone. He wanted Nameless dead, his beauty be damned.

No one in the history of his existence had ever dared strike him in anger. That one did so now, one inferior to himself, his own cursed _property_ , was beyond imagination. Nameless must die. But as long as he himself lived, Nameless _couldn't_ die.

"It seems I have erred; my oath _does_ keep me from slaughtering you. Truth, I cannot harm you. Not truly. Not without equal harm to myself. And while I live that will not change. So know this: when I find your brother I will exact payment for what he has done to me. He will die, Nameless. Slowly. Painfully. And you will watch. Now turn your face from me. Need I look at you a moment more I may yet find a way to kill us both."

Sasuke felt dipped in ice. He turned and carefully sat with his back to the master. He could feel his eyes on him. Like branding irons set against his back. A deep, dark rage far worse than what occurred over the incident of the loincloth throbbed along the chain. It left him ill. _Itachi…what have I done? Help me!_ "I am sorry. Is…is there any chance my temper still meets with your approval? As…" He struggled to recall the exact wording. "As a source of enjoyment in the taming of me?"

"That you dare speak to me while I am near senseless intrigues me. At present I am not amused, Nameless, so no."

Sasuke swallowed. "You can instruct me."

"Best close your mouth else I rip the tongue from your head."

 _Not a command,_ he realized after consideration. "So that I can…" _Gods take my life now._ "…pleasure you." He waited. "High One?" He hadn't been instructed not to turn around. A glance behind himself gave him a bad fright, though. The master sat motionless, but his eyes were a baleful red. "I will obey you in everyth-"

"Silence."

The force behind that command was such that for a moment he could not breathe. A moment long enough to illustrate that this was no accident. Breath returned to him on a gasp that had him coughing.

The master looked to his _alma_. "Go back to the village we passed. Bring me a body. Any body. Do not come back without one if you value the hide you stand in. _Run_."

The rabbits were hastily set on the furs as the boy slipped from the tent.

* * *

But he'd gone no farther than a few meters when the sky crashed down nearly atop his head in a shower of grit. When he lowered his arm it was to behold a stunning sight: A woman, clad in ragged strips of silver, stepping from a sphere of sand that dissolved from its shape as he watched. His master barged from the tent a moment later, face still bloody, and pulled up short at the same sight. Nameless peered from behind their master's back, then stepped around him fully at seeing it was only a woman.

They all watched her turn in a circle, surveying land and sky, before facing the master. She beheld him nude, took in all parts of him, then hurried forward. They saw the familiar way she handled the oblong she carried with one hand, the way she planted it on its end at her side as she placed a fist on her chest. "I am Her Blessing, The Chaste. Sister to His Eminence and Glory," she said. "My brother spoke of you. Highly. You are the Last. And you are my only hope."

He saw Nameless raise a brow. The master merely stared where one of her breasts sat plump and sweaty for all the world to see. He personally wondered what would happen, since the woman was strong. Come to think on it, he'd made note of this same woman soaring past their rooftop after Nameless fainted. Just before the attack. He looked at the oblong by her side. That thing was what he'd seen her on, some kind of fan.

"I am favored by the Demon Himself," the master murmured. "I send my _alma_ for a body, and one falls from the very skies. Ten Tails, and such a body it is." He licked his chops. Inhaled long and slow. Finally raised his eyes to hers. Squinted. "Your beauty speaks to my cock most strongly."

"Be damned to your cock, you lowlife _khrote!_ Have you not heard my words?"

He knew that look of fascination on his master's face. It meant someone had challenged him and he meant to correct them. The same look he'd had when Nameless made that jest with the loincloth. Which he himself had privately thought funny. He peeked at Nameless now. There was a frown on his face.

"I heard your words," the master said. "Your brother spoke-"

"Then you are lower than a _khrote_. A _phel_ , a _dris_ , and a _mortukan_ you are. May the essence you carry eat your heart and the Demon by which you swear fill your brains with sand. Perhaps then you would function as a man."

The master's cock thickened until the tip was a red bulb eloquent of his fury.

"Unless you lack sense utterly, you will remember just what it was you fled from."

The master's lips barely moved. "I do."

"And the fact that my brother did not flee."

A blink. The cock deflated somewhat. "Your brother has fallen."

"No! The sands preserve him, never. But…he has been beaten. I know it. I feel it. He has sent me to you. For protection, but I am now ruler of the Land of Wind. While I breathe, Suna yet lives. You must help me."

"I journey to Ascension. What aid you seek cannot be rendered by me."

"But you must. You are the only one powerful enough to rescue my brother."

"If His Eminence and Glory was bested, then he has fallen. I felt his essence walk free as I fled. If the sacred essence itself could not save him, then-"

"Your essence is more powerful. You are the Last. _The Last._ What force in this world could be greater than your own?" She went to her knees. "As ruler of Suna and the Land of Wind, I beg you. But name your price and it will be done. You _must_ save him. He lives. I feel it in my blood, he yet lives. Please." Her head lowered with this last whispered plea.

"Your request would suggest you know well what you ask. That I give up my Ascension. Were I to entertain such a thought, the price would be heavy."

She lowered her head further. "It is understood."

"And you would carry this shame? Place it upon your brother's head, should we find him living?"

"What I do as ruler will be my burden and mine alone. What is your price?"

The master said nothing. Only looked at her wild hair. There was sand in it that fell with her tremors.

"I beg you," she said again. "Suna will be yours. I will pledge fealty to you, and our land to yours, ever your ally. Only save my brother."

"What good will fealty or allies do me when I will have forsworn my Ascension? I would be ruler of nothing more than the pile of sand you arrived in."

She waited. Her shoulders jerked once, twice, and he thought maybe she was trying not to voice her grief; he could see tears falling on her knees.

"Stand."

She did as bidden.

The master ran his eyes over her. "You will be my consort. That is my price."

"No."

"You offered me anything."

"Anything but that. I am Her Blessing, The _Chaste_ , ruler of Suna. My virtue is my name, my land, my duty. To give up my virtue would be to betray my people and their faith in me. My very identity would be lost. There is no bargain that will be struck with my virtue. Never."

"If we find your brother living, Suna is mine. From your own lips. What need would you have of your people or their faith then? You have already given them up, as well as your brother's rule. And since you give yourself to me your identity is already lost." He gazed at her without blinking. "Your virtue."

Her voice was anguished. "Never. _Please._ "

"Then speak your brother's name."

The fan was open and in her hand, the edge pressing against the master's throat before he could properly see the movement. All he heard was the metallic hiss of it being handled.

The master was unmoved. "Heed me. Your brother is my friend. We shared much. But what you ask of me is no small matter. I have prepared for my Ascension from infancy, as have you I am sure. Should I forfeit it, I cannot become. 'Twould forever be lost to me, my birthright. One does not cast off Ascension. Therefore, if I must violate my oaths so must you. I will save your brother. For the payment of your body. Whenever I have need of it."

"Truth, an Ascension is no small matter. A gift given to precious few. A mere consort does not justify the abandonment of your Ascension."

"And yet you are no mere consort. You are Her Blessing, The Chaste. I do not abandon it for a small matter. Your brother _is_ my friend. This is sworn. I cannot and will not forsake him. His life is greater than the value of my Ascension. But I will be paid."

She continued to hesitate.

"Do not demure to me, woman. I can smell the heat between your legs. The jut of your chin says you will fight me, but the points of your breasts say you want me to prevail. What say you? Are we agreed?"

Her chin went higher even as more tears fell. "We are."

"Then it is final. Should we find your brother indeed fallen, naught in the agreement will change."

"If my brother is fallen the agreement is _done_. You touch me no more and Suna is _mine_ , no ally to you."

The master was silent a long time. "It is agreed." He took a step that put him close to her and ripped the remains of her _shruda_ away.

"My brother first."

"Your body first."

This time he watched. The master bedded men and boys often, but women seldom. 'Twas rare to find any strong enough to suit his tastes. This woman was almost a man in her ferocity. He looked to see what Nameless made of the coming entertainment and found the slave scowling. Sure enough…

"Stop,"Nameless said.

The master left off hefting Her Blessing's breasts to slowly turn his head. Nameless glared at him. "You do not dare," the master hissed. "Not even you would be so foolish as to thwart me now. Already your brother's death is promised. You-"

"Know this," Nameless said. "Chain or no, I am done obeying you. This woman asks for help. You would violate her modesty to satisfy your becursed lust? You are no man. Nor are you even a _dris_ , as she rightly called you. You are less than the dung from your arse, you contemptible son of a diseased _phel_. May hell know your name before I let you touch her. Your Blessing," Nameless called. "You are under my protection. I bid you step behind me."

The master and Her Blessing were as still as he was. Truth, it nearly cost him his silence not to laugh. Even so, tears stung his eyes. Prized beyond measure, was Nameless. His stupidity was an unending source of amusement he treasured almost as much as his master's life. He calmed himself to hear what reply could be made to such a statement.

Her Blessing looked Nameless over from crown to heel. "You are beautiful and powerful, to be sure," she told him. "But one cannot fail to note your chain. Or deduce that only oaths would keep one of your magnificence in such circumstances. 'Tis plain you are in no position to help me. Your offer is welcomed and will not be forgotten…yet refused." She turned to the master.

But the master moved away from her, toward his slave. The punch he sent to his face dropped Nameless like a stone. He did not rise. The master spent a few moments with his head bowed, eyes closed. Letting the effects of the punch fade, he surmised. When the master turned for Her Blessing, it was with eyes red and cock ready. He moved back a few paces to give them room.

* * *

She felt every muscle in her body tighten to see that great blond beast come toward her. From birth was she schooled in the guarding of her virtue. To give it up was no small thing, perhaps the gravest act she had ever committed. She was disgraced. Even if her sacrifice bought her brother's life, she would no longer be fit to rule or bear a title. Little better than yon slave.

He closed a hand in her hair and the hand she still had on her fan twisted, slicing him nearly in half with the weapon. She spun away from his roar, saw his innards fall to the ground amidst a shower of blood, and did not wait. Her fan danced in her hands, opening his neck, nearly severing an arm, splitting his skull to the nose. He lay broken and bleeding and singing his death rattle, and she was cleansed. Freed of the shame of bargaining her virtue away. Only after he'd bested her would he have his payment.

She watched as the essence he carried became a storm around his body. That quickly did she find herself writhing on the ground from its strength, robbed of breath. Such was the weight of his power that she was pressed to the sand she flailed in, her bones creaking in protest and near to breaking. And then it stopped. She took breath in great gasps, feeling as if she would float off the ground in the absence of that power.

Indeed she was raised, but it was a hand like steel around her arm that pulled her up. She was hauled to his chest, anchored by an arm equally unyielding around her waist, and her thighs wrapped around his torso. She clamped his body with her thighs only so she could rain her fists down on his unmarked face. She spat at his eyes, tore his hair, bit his face until she tasted blood, but all he did was bury his hand in her hair and yank her head back until she thought her neck would snap. She heard growling by her ear before fangs pierced the skin on her throat. His power entered her, moved along her nerve-endings, and she clutched his shoulders against her will, her sex swollen and hot and wet for him. Two thick, rough fingers rasped across her sensitive flesh before pushing inside her to shred her innocence.

She gasped.

The pain excited her...and that shamed her. She bit his shoulder. Hard. If he felt it he did not respond, other than to pull his hand free of her body, meet her eyes, and suck her blood from his fingers.

-oOo-

He had her there in her brother's sand. She was pressed to it, her thighs held wide by his body. She felt his manhood nudge her, testing her wetness. Her belly quivered at his perceived size, but there was no time to feel fear. He was entering her, splitting her, filling her to bursting with unstoppable force. And then he began moving.

She would be lying if she said the sound of her brother's frequent matings never warmed her blood or made her resent her position as his sister. There were times she fumbled for release with her own hand. Times she wet her pillow with tears for the knowledge that she would never hold a man or bear his child. Desire and lust would always be forbidden to her.

But this…

She entered the world of passion on his fierce strokes with all the abandon of one born to it. Her identity of ruler and sister to a ruler were beaten away by each deep thrust, each soul-shivering retreat that brought forth her screams at the unholy friction. Her body was not her own. It woke and clawed its way out of her skin, hot and sweating and soaring free of her mind. The spasms were the end of her and the beginning. And then it happened again. And yet again, her entire body locked around his. She drew blood with her nails, with her teeth…but then, when she thought there could be no greater wonder than his body in hers, he put his mouth to her lips.

That such a man as he, after the fury of his possession, could be capable of such gentleness would not have occurred to her scattered mind. She was gentled in turn, calmed from her wild frenzy, as he pushed her lips apart with his own and gave her his tongue. She did not know what to do with it. Until he showed her. That her quailing heart could again be brought to a gallop with so minor a touch left her shaking. Soft and soft, was his mouth. Now it was she who pulled his hair.

He rolled with her. She found herself astride his staff and the depth had her screeching to the heavens. He grasped her waist, showed her the movements, but his size was too great; another crisis weakened her where she sat, shaking her limbs until he sat up with her and held her close. Held her still, his lips to her ear.

"Your sheath is sweet death," he panted. "You will have me giving my name. _Stop_. Be still." His breathing was harsh in her hair. "The Demon take me. Your brother did not drain me thus. I can scarce breathe." Some minutes passed wherein he stroked her back and she trembled with fatigue. Then, "Again," he said. "Until I am sated."

* * *

 _The essence spoke to him and thus did he become aware. "I HAVE FAILED."_

 _He watched the essence reform its shape behind its prison inside him. "Failed?" Never had he heard the words. "Suna is lost, then."_ No! _No. He made himself calm. "My sister lives. My people. They are Suna. It is I who have failed and I who am lost. So be it." He looked up at the essence. Nodded. "So be it. Suna falls to my blood. May she lead well."_

-oOo-

Upon opening his eyes the many injuries he'd sustained had him clenching his jaws against a scream. Such was his pain that he nearly lost consciousness again, but someone leaned into his line of sight.

"Ah. I see you've returned to us, Your Eminence and Glory. Be welcomed to the end of your life."

The person, a man, smiled at him. His beauty was noted, but it was his eyes that interested him. _Sharingan_. An Uchiha, then. "Who are you?"

"I'd hoped you speak! I feared I might have been too harsh in my efforts to subdue the First. It does me such _good_ to see your mind intact, that we may converse before your Passing. My name, in answer to your question, is Uchiha Madara…oh. Oh. My apologies. Names are forbidden here. I'd forgotten. I've only just stepped from seclusion, such details escape my memory on occasion. Not that you'll be alive to appreciate it but that was a momentary lapse on my part. Never to be repeated. Do forgive me."

Suna's last ruler turned his head aside, frowning toward what had once been the village.

"Your Eminence?"

* * *

"Sands preserve me, heed my-"

Something happened at last. The sounds of battle had ended some time ago. All was still. She trembled in the mound of sand covering her.

A sound. At first she thought she'd been spotted. Then she felt the sand beneath her sink. She closed her hands over the sand she held and pressed her fists to her mouth to keep in her cries.

The desert drew her down, a pocket of air around her. She was sped away from the village in this manner. Her passage created a rumbling sound that shook her little cocoon but she was unafraid; safety, sanctuary, and shelter were hers. "Thank you," she said against her fingers. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. May you live until the end of days, Your Eminence and Glory."

* * *

Sasuke woke to a raging headache, the master's grunts, Her Blessing's squeals, and the steady clap of flesh on flesh.

With His Eminence and Glory the chain had been removed from the master's wrist. Not so now. As such, the riotous lust and desire coming through the chain was enough to knock him senseless again. Almost. For the moment, the master's body and the sensations it experienced took all his awareness. Monstrous, foreign sensations that curdled his stomach.

 _I will remain still until it is over._

But there did not seem to be an end in sight. The light told him he'd been unconscious for more than an hour. He could well be subjected to the master's activities for hours yet, if his time with His Eminence and Glory was an accurate measure of the master's appetites.

The strongest yearning to kill came over him as he felt and heard the master's release. An utter incapability to tolerate anymore injustice. His clan. His parents. His brother. And now his free will. His self. He'd lost too much. Would lose no more. So now, while Her Blessing moaned as the master's passion rekindled, and while he himself felt a calming lack of emotion, he examined his link to the chain anew.

No. He was not completely without emotion, he found. But such was his fury, impotence, and fright for his life that he was given a state of clarity he never experienced. With it came access to strength he seldom, if ever, possessed. Enough for him to set his chakra against the master's without his Bloodline Limit. He pushed. Felt no resistance. Pushed again, and felt the entire massive weight of the master's control shift. Not much, but enough for him to slip a protective layer of his own chakra between his brain and the master's chakra, thereby insulating his mind.

The master roared his release yet again.

 _And that is why he removed the chain while with His Eminence and Glory._ The thought was like a fireball he'd yet to release. He nearly roared himself, his victory was so keen. _Brother. I have found the chain's weakness. Of sorts. But I will still murder you when next we meet for selling me at all._

The weight of the master's chakra soon became too great to continue holding. With his joy at victory, even one so small, his strength faded. By the time the master rolled from Her Blessing he had his makeshift shield retracted deep within himself. The better to escape detection when the master's senses returned to him. The knowledge that he was not now completely at the master's mercy filled him with such contentment that he was able to follow the master's curt command to clean him without a shred of resentment.

-oOo-

The master stood and nearly pitched to the ground again. A hand to his chest verified that his heart was still galloping. Even his vision was blurred. He let many minutes go by as Nameless wiped him down and Her Blessing made an attempt to salvage some part of her _shruda._

Nameless.

His slave had angered him. Struck him. But now Nameless cleaned him with strong, sure strokes that soothed the ache in his muscles. He studied his slave as Nameless now moved in front of him. Nameless used the cloth to wipe sweat from his neck and chest, eyes down.

"Look at me."

Nameless had eyes of unrelieved black. Not a color he'd seen in eyes before meeting him and his brother. There was no rage in those eyes now. Nothing but quiet came through the chain. Quiet and stillness.

The chain was never quiet. From the moment he put it on Nameless hatred, anger, and resistance all but flooded his senses. Especially resistance. Always that resistance. But now…nothing.

And the eyes were steady. Unblinking. Fearless. Without breaking the stare, he grasped his end of the chain where it hung from his hand. He probed the connection with his chakra. Nameless was powerless while chained, and had been unconscious during his sport with Her Blessing. He could find no fault in the chain or their link, and yet… "What did you do."

The question's meaning was clear, but Sasuke found that several truths would suffice. He picked one. "I slept."

He felt no lie, but something about the tone his slave used set his teeth on edge. "With the chain, dog, _what did you do?"_

"What I always do. I explored the nature of your chakra's interaction with mine."

"You will never again explore the chain, my chakra, or the nature of our link."

"It is understood." He blinked. "You wish to be free of the chain. It is possible I could bring that about. However, you have commanded me, so I will obey."

"In your way?"

"In the way all slaves are meant to obey."

The master continued to hold his slave's gaze, but even with careful consideration he could not believe the youth before him had the strength to overpower him. Were Nameless unchained, the full brunt of his clan's power blazing, he could not best him. Chained, most assuredly not. Then he recalled their words in the tent and a grunt escaped him. The threat to his brother's life had cooled his slave's blood, it seemed. Good. Too much else had come to pass for him to focus on the inconvenience of his slave at present.

He turned to his _alma_ and Her Blessing. "We go now."

* * *

When she was gently pushed to the surface it was in the center of a group of people who all stopped talking at seeing her emerge.

"Look…she was in the battle," someone said. A man bent to her face. "How fares His Eminence and Glory?"

"Is he well?"

"Is victory ours?"

"Does Her Blessing, The Chaste fight at his side?"

"Is the battle over?"

" _Tata!_ "

That shout cut through all the questions. She threw her hands up, blinded by tears, one fist still clutching sand. "Papa!"

Her father's strong arms swept her up and squeezed her. She felt his lips in her hair. The scent of him filled her nose. His breath was warm and his voice thick with relief. "Truth, but I thought you lost to me. What happened?"

"I did what you taught me. The sand saved me." She pulled back to see his face. Scores of other faces surrounded them both. She met their anxiousness with a smile. "His Eminence and Glory lives! Suna is not fallen!"

The cheer in the northern caves was deafening.

* * *

"Suna is fallen," Madara intoned. " _You_ are fallen." He waited, but His Eminence continued to look away. "Have you a relative to speak your name once I claim your life?"

His Eminence and Glory closed is eyes.

"A wife, perhaps? A sibling?"

Silence.

"Your indifference to my courtesy pains the heart. I confess myself disappointed. However, I'll not disturb the Peace of your Passing further. I understand that, like names, death is sacred in your lands." His chakra swelled until it lit the air around him. "I will end this now, as you seem to wish. Akatsuki! Attend. Extraction begins."

His Eminence and Glory kept his eyes closed, his Peace in Passing intact. Few slain in battle were able to achieve the Peace in the moments before their Passing, but the Peace was a practice in all cultures. It was mandatory no matter the deity one prayed to, that reflection on one's days of living could be performed and one's name spoken before the Pass. Thus was the circle of their existence complete. Clearly the Uchiha knew nothing of such refined practices.

His end was close now. His sister was with the Last. Suna's people were safe. He'd been just and honorable in life. Peace was his in death. His circle was complete. "My name is G-"

A blast of displaced sand had him shielding his face. The men and women of Akatsuki cried out from where they surrounded him. He was able to peer between their legs and so beheld the same sight that had his captors silent.

 _Well. I did not think to see him again so soon. Sister, sister, what have you done?_


End file.
